


The Problem Child

by Rustic_Vintage



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Loki, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Inappropriate Humor, Loki Feels, Loki Gets a Hug, Loki Needs a Hug, Loki Redemption, SHIELD Agent Loki, Sexual Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-10-12 21:05:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 110,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10499454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rustic_Vintage/pseuds/Rustic_Vintage
Summary: Tori has always been the black sheep, no matter the setting.  From her family, to school, and now as an agent of SHIELD.  It's safe to say that she has a real problem with doing anything by the book.  While thinking outside the box has made her a successful agent, it has also made her difficult to work with.  SHIELD's higher-ups are stuck trying to find a handler/babysitter for Loki when he is sent to Earth to serve out the remainder of his sentence.  What's the worst that can happen?





	1. Ba-Ba Black Sheep

The fact that Nick Fury was annoyed was not unique.  In fact, most of the junior agents of SHIELD would say that Director Fury had one mood (annoyed) and variations on that mood (ranging from annoyed amusement to "Imma beat yo' ass").  Today, however, the focus of his ire was seated in a windowless debriefing room next to the fifth partner that she had been assigned in as many weeks.  Agent Tori Scarpetti was one of SHIELD's best field agents.  She wasn't known for impossible Avenger-style feats of physical strength.  Nor was she known for extraordinary skills in infiltrating enemy organizations.  What Agent Scarpetti was known for was thinking on her feet...and well outside the boundaries of any conventions known to man.  In other words, working with her was hectic on a slow day and hellraising on a busy one.

Of course, one would never expect this from her at first glance.  She had large blue eyes, fringed with thick black lashes, and framed by dark, well-defined eyebrows.  Her round, rosy cheeks and wavy, russet hair gave her the appearance of a cherub, in spite of her thirty years.  She was average height but had a figure that drew comparisons to Betty Boop or Jessica Rabbit.  Not to her face, though.  The last guy to say anything to her had to have his jaw wired shut for six weeks before it healed.

The cause of Fury's current predicament was such creative thinking had lead to a minor altercation at a sporting event were some civilians and two agents sustained minor injuries.  Actually, that was what Tori wrote in her report.  What really happened was that a massive riot broke out at a Red Sox vs. Yankees game.  At Fenway Park.  On national television.  Several celebrities and elected officials in attendance were sent to the hospital.  And the junior agent also seated in the debriefing room had been thrown from the top of the stands and tumbled down the stairs, only coming to a stop after breaking his right arm, shattering his collarbone, and breaking three ribs.  Tori got away with only a blacken right eye.

"Agent Scarpetti, I appreciate that you succeeded in securing the package.  However, your choice of exit strategy leaves something to be desired."

Tori, holding an ice pack to her eye, looked at Fury with her left eye.  She wondered if he ever got annoyed with the lack of depth perception and shortened field of vision.  "I really didn't expect things to get that out of hand, sir.  It was only the fourth inning," she said with a half-assed apology in her tone.

Agent Eric Richards, who had only graduated from the SHIELD Academy four months prior, gaped at her.  "Are you kidding right now!?!  It was the Sox and Yankees!  What did you think was going to happen when you made it look like the Yankees' fan sitting next to him had dumped his beer down his back after that call?  Then you stirred the pot by talking shit to both the Sox _and_ the Yankees fans.  It was bad enough that the call started a fight on the field and cleared the benches!"

Tori shrugged.  "Hey!  I don't think the ump was watching the same game we were.  It was a shitty call.  I think that knuckle-dragger overacted, but I can appreciate the sentiment.  As for stirring the pot," she said with a grin, "I can get away with it because I'm a Pirates' fan!"

Fury sighed.  "Agent Scarpetti, I'm sorry, but we have to put you on leave for the next two weeks.  When you return from leave, you will be re-assigned to a detail here at headquarters until a suitably..." Fury looked at the bedraggled junior agent, "sturdy replacement can be found as your partner."

"Desk detail!  C'mon, Fury.  It wasn't  _that_ bad.  It's not like anyone died.  Besides, the fight was gonna happen with or without my help.  I just gave them a nudge."

"You know that's not the point, Tori!  Your lack of discretion and forward-thinking has caused more than one such incident.  Until you learn to take it down a notch, you are getting your wings clipped.  Agent Richards, you will be re-assigned to a new team once you return from medical leave.  You are dismissed, if you have nothing further to say."  Fury fixed his gaze upon Tori, daring her to speak up.

Tori knew when she was beat and simply shook her head.  " _Two weeks of leave.  Shit.  I guess that means I will be laying low.  I should head out of town_.   _Maybe I should go see Nonna_."  She rose from her seat, and without another word, left the room.  As she stalked down the hallway toward her living quarters, Tori could feel the stares and hear the low murmurs.  It was nothing new; there was a bit of notoriety involved with how she chose to handle things.  It quit bothering her a long time ago.  She always did march to the beat of her own drummer, and it was one of the reasons why SHIELD had recruited her away from her job working for a national consulting firm.  They said they needed "creative approaches" and "out of the box thinking."  Sounds good in an interview.  More difficult to practice.

A cheerful voice called out behind her, "Hey, Ba-Ba Black Sheep!  What happened?"  That voice belonged to Darcy Lewis, her favorite intern on the planet.  Walking beside her was Darcy's boss, Dr. Jane Foster, who was currently staring at the shiner that Tori had acquired when she didn't sidestep quick enough to avoid the elbow of an angry Bostonian as he cocked back to punch a very large and very pissed off man in a Yankees jersey.

"Hey, Darce!  Well, it was the usual.  Two weeks' leave.  Only this time, I'm being assigned to a desk until they can find me an unbreakable partner."

Darcy socked Tori in the arm.  "Cheer up, Tori.  That just means that you'll get to see more of me and the boss-lady here."

Tori smiled.  Darcy was right about that.  Office work was boring, but she could at least hang with some interesting people.  And pester the brain trust.  Maybe ogle the hot men of SHIELD in the training facility.  Yeah, it wouldn't be bad.  Suddenly, Dr. Foster let loose with a squeal that was usually reserved for Science! which everyone knew was Jane's one true love.  In this moment, though, the cause of that reaction was tall, blond, and beefy: Thor.

Tori and Darcy exchanged a look; seeing Jane switch gears from astrophysicist to excited girlfriend/#1 fangirl was a sight to behold.  Tori couldn't blame her, though.  There was something about having a boyfriend that could pick you up and toss you around that appealed to Tori.  Her last few boyfriends had been of the "I don't go to the gym except to use the sauna" variety.  They were preppy blue bloods that her corporate attorney sister thought she should date.  You know, guys like her brother-in-law who found it abhorrent that Tori had a job that required her to get her hands dirty every once in a while.  Thank God that he and the rest of her family only thought that she worked for the FBI.  If they knew it was SHIELD, they would disown her!

At present, though, Tori spotted a man standing behind Thor that was the antithesis of the wimpy, anemic man-boys that her sister had tried foisting on her.  He was still dark and broody, but he was anything but wimpy or anemic.  His thick black hair was a bit long for Tori's taste, but it suited him.  He had pale skin and cheekbones that could cut someone.  He was almost as tall as Thor, but where Thor was a brick shithouse, this guy was lean and muscular.  The thing that caught Tori's attention the most were his eyes: deep emerald green and keenly intelligent.  Right now, he looked supremely bored as he waited for Thor and Jane to finish greeting each other with their very public display of affection.

Tall, Dark, and Handsome's eyes began to wander around the hall, when they fell on Tori.  " _Don't stare, don't stare, don't stare..._ " was the litany going through Tori's mind as she did the exact opposite.  She couldn't tear her eyes away from him.  Before she knew it, he was staring right back at her!  Tori turned an incandescent shade of red under his gaze, which made him smile.  Oh shit!  That smile!  He knew what Tori was staring at, and this guy was certainly not shy about staring right back.  Tori still continued to burn up from embarrassment, standing beside Darcy.

Darcy, meanwhile, rolled her eyes in disgust.  "Dammit!  I thought that he was staying at The Tower!"

The sound of Darcy's voice snapped Tori back to reality.  "Who, Darce?"

"Loki!  The guy standing behind Thor.  Why is he here?  I mean, I know that Thor is sort of his babysitter while he's doing time here on Earth, but Thor needs a break, man!"

Tori looked sideways in his direction.  " _So that's Loki,_ " she thought.  " _He looks better than the photos and footage in his case files_."  She had joined SHIELD about a year after the attack on New York.  Studying up on that incident and the events that led to it was standard curriculum for the Academy.  Tori didn't have to go through the entire Academy, already holding a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and having done four years in the Navy as a commissioned officer.  What little training she did need was mostly to learn about SHIELD and to brush up on her physical fitness.

She didn't have much time to compare her memory of Loki's files to the man himself because, right now, he was walking toward her with his brother and Dr. Foster.  As he approached, Tori tried to not look at him.  The harder she tried, the harder he seemed to stare at her.  She made the mistake of looking at him when he was about halfway to her.  Yeah, big mistake.  Loki looked like he was stripping her bare with his eyes and could see everything she was thinking.  Her nervousness brought back the smile that he had given her earlier...and her blushing.  " _Leave it to me to make things awkward_ ," Tori thought as they got closer.

"Hey, big guy! What's new?" Darcy chirped as Thor approached.

"Darcy!  I am doing well.  I am here to see Nick Fury about a new assignment."

"Cool.  Do you still like Avengering?"

Thor laughed.  "Yes, I enjoy spending time in this realm.  Very much."  Thor gave Jane a meaningful look, which made Jane giddy and made Loki roll his eyes.

"Awesome!  Have you met Agent Tori Scarpetti?  She's one of SHIELD's best," Darcy said with what could best be described as a shit-eating grin.

Tori powered through the discomfort and survived being introduced to Thor.  Then he said, "Agent Scarpetti, may I introduce you to my brother, Loki?"

Now, it was going to get awkward because Tall, Dark, and Handsome had to speak to her.  Tori almost became a puddle when Loki spoke to her because, seriously, the man's voice was made of all sorts of horrible things that gave Tori very bad ideas.  He said, "I am pleased to meet you Agent Scarpetti.  May I ask, what happened to your eye?"

She nervously laughed it off.  "Field work.  I was on a mission and things got a little out of hand, though my former partner caught the worst of it."  As if on cue, Agent Richards hobbled by and gave Tori a withering look.

"Nice working with ya, Richards.  Good luck!" she called out in response to his hostility.

If Tori didn't know any better, she could have sworn that she saw Loki's grin get bigger when he saw this exchange.  It was just then, that Thor said with a thoughtful expression, "So, you will be needing a new partner?"

"Yes, but Director Fury has put me on leave for two weeks after today's incident.  Until they can find me a new partner, I'm going be a desk jockey."

Thor gave her a strange look, almost like he was sizing her up.  Then his face brightened with a smile.  "Cheer up, Agent Scarpetti.  You will be back in the field in no time.  I am sure of it."

She had a nose for trouble and knew that something was up.  Nonetheless, Tori was going on leave and planned to not be anywhere near SHIELD during that time.  Whatever it was would have to wait until she came back.  "Well, it was nice meeting you.  I have to get going so I can pack for my trip."

"You didn't say you were going anywhere," pouted Darcy.  "Where are you headed?"

"Pittsburgh.  I'm going to go see my grandmother for the next two weeks.  After today, I could use some comfort food and someplace not here to lay low.  Hanging out with Nonna is the best way to get both."

"No fair!  You had better bring back leftovers!"

Tori laughed, "I will, Darce.  You might have to fight Coulson for the lasagna."

Darcy grinned at her friend.  "Coulson's going down if he thinks that he can hog the lasagna like he did last time."

"I will sell tickets to that MMA match.  He might last a few rounds," Tori laughed at the mental image of Darcy Lewis and Phil Coulson duking it out over Nonna Scarpetti's lasagna.  She said her goodbyes and continued toward her quarters.  Before she rounded the corner, she turned to give them one last look.  Loki was still staring at her, grinning.  Tori hurried the rest of the way back to her room, but she couldn't shake the feeling of that man's stare until she was packed and in her car, driving to Pittsburgh.


	2. Have Your Brains Gone Soft?

Rosie Scarpetti was 90 years old, and there was no doubt where Tori got her haphazard way of doing things.  Nonna was the proud mother of five children, grandmother of 18, and soon to be great-grandmother of two.  Having such a brood inherently came with its own perils and rarely meant order and tranquility.  Still, Nonna's house was always clean, food was always cooking, and Nonna always made sure that all of her little chickens were cared for.  Nonna had her garden and tended it with help from her sons and grandkids.  Tori, her sister, and her brothers had been raised on the same block as Nonna and the rest of the Scarpetti family.  If Tori could point to any one person as her inspiration for creative thinking, it was Nonna.

When Tori showed up on Nonna's doorstep, she was pulled into a warm hug and promptly told to go put her things in what Nonna always called her room.  It was the bedroom upstairs at the end of the hall, overlooking the side yard with the garden.  At one time, it had been Nonna's sewing room and was still home to the ancient Singer on which many a Halloween costume and First Communion dress had been sewn.  Tori tossed her bag on the double bed that was covered with a white chenille dot comforter and pale blue throw pillows.  For next two weeks, she baked with Nonna, helped her pick vegetables to make chow-chow, stretched out on the porch swing and read three of her books, and got to hear all of the family gossip as she sat in Nonna's living room at night, working on a crochet project that she had been neglecting for the last couple of months.  Even if it hadn't been planned, or voluntary, Tori had made the most of her time off.

Now, she was back at SHIELD headquarters and felt like a mule going through customs.  Instead of narcotics, she was bring in coolers, boxes, and bags of Nonna's cooking and baking.  Tori had helped, but it was all under Nonna's watchful eye.  Word travelled fast that Tori was back and soon the other agents in residence descended upon her like a pack of ravening wolves.  "We are just glad to see you back and want to help you unload," Maria Hill said with a smile.  At once, Tori knew something was up.  Not that she minded the help, or that she didn't know the other agents were eager to help her eat the spoils of two weeks at Nonna's.  When the word "chow-chow" was uttered, everyone clamored to claim a jar for themselves.  Tori handed out a jar to each of her helpers then shooed them away so she could start putting things away in her cupboards and fridge.  By the time she was done, Tori determined that she wouldn't really need to cook for herself for at least the next two months.

She was unpacking her duffle, when there was a sharp knock on her door.  Tori opened the door to see Agent Phil Coulson, in his ever-present suit and tie, wearing his "I'm here on official business" expression.  Tori said with a small smile, "Agent Coulson, I take it that you're not here to get a jar of chow-chow and a pan of lasagna."

"I will have to come back for those later, Tori.  Right now, you are needed in the conference room."

"Wow!  I just got back, and I'm already in trouble?  Was it the lack of biscotti for Fury?  It was, wasn't it?"

Phil gave as close to a smile as he got when he was in Agent Mode.  "I'm sure that Director Fury will be disappointed that you didn't bring him biscotti.  However, that's not why you need to come with me."

Tori sighed.  This didn't bode well, at all.  "Let me grab my coat."

She wasn't going to bother putting on the uniform because she was still technically on leave.  Instead, she was wearing cerulean V neck t-shirt, bootcut blue jeans, and brown biker boots.  Tori threw on her brown leather bomber jacket and her aviator sunglasses.  If she was going to face the firing squad, she was going in style.  The halls were thrumming with activity and curious eyes turned toward her and Agent Coulson as they walked to the conference room.  

Walking alongside Coulson, Tori said, "There are a lot of people here for a Friday afternoon.  What gives?"

"We have had a few special visitors since you went on leave.  It's caused some excitement," replied the senior agent as they approached the double doors.

Tori cocked an eyebrow toward him, "Anything I should know about?"

"Don't worry.  You'll hear all about it," Coulson said with a hint of something Tori didn't like.  Coulson opened the door for her, and Tori entered the conference room.  Whatever she was expecting, it certainly wasn't what greeted her eyes.

Seated at the table were all of the Avengers, Loki, three men and a woman she assumed were Asgardians (based on their clothes and size), and Agent Hill.  Director Fury was standing behind the chair at the head of the table.  He motioned to the empty seat across from Loki.  "Agent Scarpetti, welcome back.  Please have a seat."

Tori was well-aware that all eyes were on her as she removed her sunglasses and sat down.  Of course, the beautiful green-eyed bastard seated across from her was looking her up and down with a smirk on his face.  " _Why does he look like the cat that ate the canary?_ " Tori thought as she looked toward, but not at him.  The smaller, blond man seated next to Loki stood from his seat and extended his hand.  "You must be the lovely young lady we have heard so much about.  I am Fandral, and it is indeed a pleasure to make your acquaintance Vittoria Scarpetti."

As he spoke, Tori had reflexively put her hand in his, expecting a handshake.  What she got was a kiss on the back of the hand.  This, in combination with the use of her full name and the sour face that Loki made, caused her snort with suppressed laughter.  Fandral looked confused and a bit disappointed at her reaction.  "I'm sorry," she apologized, "only my grandmother calls me 'Vittoria.'  Well so do my parents, when they're mad.  Please, call me Tori."

Fandral brightened at being allowed to address her informally.  "Very well, Tori."  Fury cleared his throat, eager to get the meeting underway.

"Tori, I'm sure that you are wondering why we have called you here so soon after your return from leave.  We have some questions that we'd like to ask you before you are re-assigned."

Tori looked confused.  "Re-assigned?  As in, 'no desk detail?'  I'm intrigued, but worried."

A short laugh came from the end of the table, then Tori heard Tony Stark say, "You ought to be worried, Boop.  I think it's as much punishment for you as it is for a certain somebody in the room."

Tori hated, HATED, being called "Boop."  Tony knew it, too, which made him do it even more.  She glared down the table at Stark, who sat with his arms crossed smugly grinning at her.  Turning her attention back to Fury, Tori was eager to get this over with.  "What would you like to know?"

Now, it was Steve's turn.  "You've gone through five partners in under two months.  You achieve the objectives of your missions, but it seems that there's an issue with planning and/or sticking to the plan.  Why is that?"

She looked at Steve and said, "Well, each situation has its own problems, but it comes down one of two things: 1) the plan sucked from the beginning or 2) shit happens and you have to adapt."  Steve blushed at her choice of words, which was Tori's goal with her word selection.

"So, it's safe to say that you can roll with the punches, correct?  You don't get easily frazzled or distracted from the mission," said Natasha with an appraising look.  Tori had a healthy respect for the Black Widow and had never really interacted with her before.  She had the sneaking suspicion that Agent Romanov knew everything about her, without having to ask questions.  Still Tori was obliged to answer.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Clint gave her a hard look.  "How do feel about working with someone that you're responsible for watching over?"

Now, Tori was suspicious.  "Watching over, how?"

"Like you aren't just his partner, you are also his handler.  Making sure that he stays out of trouble when you aren't on-mission," said Bruce.

The pieces were all coming together now, and Tori was pissed.  "Oh, hell no!  I see where this is headed.  Very funny, Fury!  You're just setting me up for failure.  The joke's on you, pal, because I ain't doing it!"

If Nick Fury was surprised at Tori's reaction, he didn't show it.  In a calm, but firm, voice he said, "Scarpetti, it's this or permanent desk detail."

Tori's eyes narrowed, as she leaned forward and rested her knuckles on top of the table.  "I can tender my resignation right now and go back to the private sector.   _Sir_."

"Uh, no.  You can't," said Tony, "because I doubt anyone would hire you after working in this black box for three years and leaving with no references.  Besides that, you were requested specifically for this assignment."

Tori turned her glare to Tony, wishing that she could set him on fire at this moment.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a somewhat sheepish Thor and a mildly amused Loki.  She returned to her seat, resting her elbows on the table and staring at Thor until he squirmed.  "Have your brains gone soft?  What, exactly, led you to believe that I would be suited for this?"

The God of Thunder looked at her without answering then said, "After I met you with Jane and Darcy, I began to ask about you.  Your fellow agents have a lot of respect for you, Agent Scarpetti.  They may not always understand your way of doing things, but they respect that you are clever and have perseverance.  I cannot always be here to watch over my brother.  You seem to be the agent best suited for this task."

Hearing this, she sat back in her seat and swiveled her chair to face Fury.  "Aside from permanent desk detail, what else happens if I refuse?"

Fury looked to the Asgardians seated next to Loki.  Lady Sif answered, "If you refuse to take Loki into your charge, the All-Father has commanded that we bring Loki back to Asgard where he will remain in the dungeon for the rest of his natural life.  In solitude and isolated from any contact with the outside world."

Tori softened a bit.  She knew enough to know that for an Asgardian, "natural life" meant thousands of years.  She couldn't imagine living in solitary for months or years, let alone millennia.  She looked to her would-be partner.  He was stoic, but a flicker of pleading came to his eyes when Sif mention that he would be completely sealed off from everything.  She wasn't callous enough to condemn a man to that.  She looked around the table, everyone was waiting on her answer.  She rolled her eyes as she sighed, "Fine.  I'll give it a shot.  But I can pull the plug on this at any time, right?  If this isn't working, I'm done."

With a nod of his head, Fury said, "Agreed."

Thor gave an audible sigh of relief and reached across the table to take Tori's hand.  "Thank you, Tori.  You don't know how grateful I am.  Don't worry about Loki, he will be on his best behavior."  Tori looked at the God of Mischief (and Shit-Eating Grins); the look on his face said he planned to be anything but.

 


	3. Want to Make a Friend?  Have Dinner with Them.

"I can't believe that she agreed to it.  She's either crazy or has a death wish," Agent Sitwell said as he walked out of Director Fury's office.  He and the rest of the Level 10 Agents had just been debriefed on the change in Tori's status and her new assignment.

Agent Hill shrugged, "It's her best chance at getting back in the field.  Right now, there are no junior agents with whom to pair her.  Even the senior agents are scared to work with her.  They'd rather work with May or Coulson."

"I heard that," Melinda May said dryly.  As always, Agent May's face was unreadable but Maria thought she had seen a smile threaten to tug the corners of Agent May's mouth when she heard that Loki's new handler was Tori Scarpetti.

Once Sitwell was out of earshot, Agent May turned to Maria.  "Do you think this is a good idea?"

With her brow furrowed, Maria Hill looked at her fellow agent.  "I really don't know, Melinda.  On one hand, she may be out of her depth dealing with Loki.  On the other, Thor requested her for a reason.  I don't think he gave us the entire reason, but it was enough to make Fury and Coulson agree to it."

Just then, the two women saw Loki being escorted into the complex by the Warriors Three.  Blond one with nice hair and a blue cape had something in his hands that looked like a pretty piece of jewelry and was wearing a big grin on his face.  They were clearly on their way to see Loki's newly-appointed keeper.

Maria chuckled, "It looks like Tori has an admirer."

Melinda shrugged, unflappable as always.  "I've seen her do worse."

* * *

For agreeing to be Loki's partner and handler, Agent Vittoria Scarpetti was promoted to Level 9A, which meant that she directly reported to Director Fury.  It was a special designation, created for her and her unique position.  She would not have the responsibility of a Level 10 agent, but certainly had more on her plate than where she had been at Level 8.  All the same, she got a generous pay bump and now had six weeks of paid vacation.  She was also given the option of staying at SHIELD headquarters or moving into The Tower.  Tori mulled it over for a day, then decided that a shiny new apartment in The Tower would be a once-in-a-lifetime perk that she couldn't pass up.  They wouldn't be done with it for a few weeks, so she had time to pack her things.  In the meantime, Loki would be staying on her couch.

As one of the conditions of Loki's sentencing.  His powers were curtailed by a pair of cuffs on his wrists and a torc that he wore around his neck.  Fandral had assured Tori that Loki would receive severe punishment in the event that he attempted to use his powers to harm innocents.  He was, however, able to use his powers to aid others or protect himself from harm.  Fandral then presented her with a golden cuff of her own, inscribed with runes and studded with diamonds.  "A gift from the All-Father, to thank you for agreeing to look after Loki on Thor's behalf.  May I?"

Tori nodded and held out her right hand, allowing Fandral to put the cuff on her wrist, as he spoke.

"It can be used to track or summon Loki.  All you must do is ask, and it will show you his whereabouts.  If you wanted him to come to you, for any reason, you can simply will it so.  Unfortunately," Fandral said with a rakish smile, "it does not work in the reverse.  If you wish to send him away, you will need to have someone haul him off.  I suggest you leave that task to Thor or the big green fellow."

Judging by the look on Loki's face, he wasn't too fond of the idea that he could be summoned at will.  Tori, on the other hand, was relieved to hear that there was some control that she could exert in the situation.  Tori didn't notice that Fandral still held her hand in his, until Loki cleared his throat and said, "Fandral, I have business to discuss with Agent Scarpetti.  Are there no other maidens in this realm who desire your attentions?  Better yet, maidens in other realms?"

Fandral cavalierly offered a mock bow to Loki.  "Of course, Loki.  So many lovely ladies and so little time to devote to each of them."

He then turned to Tori with a flourish and raised her right hand to his lips saying, "Radiant Vittoria, until we meet again."

With a roll of her eyes and a playful smirk, Tori said, "Go on, you big flirt!  See you next time."

With the Warriors Three gone, it was now just Tori and Loki.  Her one bedroom apartment now seemed insanely small, in spite of the fact that three Asgardians just vacated the place.  Loki was sitting on the couch with his legs sprawled out before him, knees threatening the coffee table.  He looked about him as if he was in a hovel, rather than her quarters.  Noting the look his face Tori said, "I know it's not the lap of luxury, but it's SHIELD standard-issue.  At least I've made room for my books.  Can I get you anything?  Are you hungry?  Thirsty?"

He still said nothing.  His eyes now wandered over the book shelves that Tori had managed to wedge into every free bit of wall space she had.  Even then, she had a bookcase in her room and piles of books on tables.  Not waiting for Loki to answer her about refreshments, Tori decided that she wanted a drink.  She grabbed a glass and went to her fridge to fill it with ice.  Then she pulled a bottle of gin out of the cupboard and the tonic water from the fridge door.  She sliced up a lime, adding a wedge to her drink.  When she turned around, Loki was standing in front of her largest bookcase as if he was deciding whether he wanted to pick a book.

She sat down at the counter between the kitchen and living area.  "You can borrow any of them, if you want."

Loki and stared at her, as if he was trying to read her mind.  Tori drained her gin and tonic and went to make another.  "What's this business that you had to discuss with me?"

"Why did you agree to it?"

The question caught Tori off-guard.  "I'm sorry?" she replied.

"Come now," he said irritatedly, "I know that you are not hard of hearing.  Why did you agree to it?"

Tori finished making her drink and, against her better judgement, made one for Loki.  She walked over to the couch, pushing the drink into his hand, and sat at the opposite end.  "Well," she said as she settled into her seat, "I am a field agent.  I don't do well in confined spaces.  It was the best way for me to get back into what I'm supposed to be doing."

Loki scoffed.  "Surely, there are easier ways of doing that.  What is the real reason?"

"That is the real reason.  The main reason, anyway."

He raised an eyebrow at her, expectantly.  Tori sighed and she continued, "The other reason is that I thought the alternative for you was pretty shitty.  I've been in isolation before as part of my military training, to prepare me in case I was caught by enemy combatants.  It sucked then, and I _like_ my alone time.  I can't imagine what it would be like to have thousands of years of solitary."

Her answer made his lips curl into a sneer, "So the mortal took pity on the monster.  How sweet."

"Hey! You don't need to be an asshole about it.  Why can't you just accept that I did you a favor, that we can help each other out, and can both come out winners here?"

Loki now rose from the couch and stalked toward her like a panther, "Is that what you think?  That you did me a favor?"  His voice was low and dangerous, as he now loomed over Tori.  He put one hand on the armrest of the couch and the other on the back of the couch, trapping Tori in her spot as he bent over.  Loki was now inches from her face when he snarled, "You did _Thor_ a favor.  Not me.   _He_ is the one who tires of watching over me day and night.  I couldn't have cared less whether I stayed here or returned to the dungeon."

From Tori's position, she had no choice but to look him in the eye.  There, she saw anger and hatred.  Behind that, there was pain.  Tori replied with a shaky breath, "If that was true, why did you look at me like that when Sif described what would happen to you on Asgard?"

Her answer took him by surprise because Loki backed away slightly and blinked.  With a disgusted growl, he stood up and walked away, returning to his spot at the other end of the couch. Tori sipped on her drink and watched as he continued to sulk.  Her stomach began to growl, which made Loki turn his attention back toward her.  "Perhaps it is time for you to prepare the evening meal, mortal."

"Tori," she corrected him.

Loki stared blankly at her.

"Look.  If this is going to work, at all, we have to get along better than this.  My name is Tori, not 'mortal.'  Got it?"

"It is a ridiculous contraction of a name.  I refuse to call you that," he huffed.

"Well, you aren't going to last long calling me 'mortal.'  So what do you plan on calling me?"

Loki smirked at her, "Vittoria."

Tori rolled her eyes.  "Fine.  That's better than anything else, I suppose."

She got up from her seat and pulled a small pan of lasagna from the freezer, preheating the oven.  After doing that, she dished bruschetta and chow-chow into some bowls and sliced up some bread.  When the oven was ready, she threw in the pan to warm it up.  Tori went into her room and dug to the bottom of her closet to find her wine stash.  With no wine fridge, the floor of her closet was the most constant temperature place in the apartment.  She came out with a bottle of Sangiovese that she had been hoarding since her last trip to California.  Loki was now curious and got up from his seat to sit at the counter while she poured two glasses of wine.  She shoved the bread and bruschetta on the counter in front of him, "Here.  Something to snack on while dinner is cooking."

Loki watch her spoon the tomato and basil mixture onto a slice of bread before he followed suit.  After taking a bite, he greedily reached for more bread and the spoon.  Tori watched in amazement as Loki inhaled two-thirds of what she had laid out.  She needed to get her own spoon because he wouldn't surrender the one she had in the bowl.

Watching him finish off the last of it, Tori exclaimed, "Man, didn't Tony Stark feed you?"

Loki made a face at the mention of Tony's name, but swallowed his last bite before saying, "Stark's idea of food and mine are very different."

Tori found this funny and gave Loki a playful smirk.  "Why?  Does he do a lot of takeout?"

"If I had to eat one more slice of pizza, I think I would gag.  It was fine at first, but that seems to be the only thing he will provide."

She laughed, "Don't get me wrong.  I love good pizza, but I also like variety."  She looked in her fridge to see if she had the makings for a salad.  While she didn't have fresh lettuce, she had red onion, cucumbers, and tomatoes.  Tori started slicing and dicing until she was ready to add olive oil, red wine vinegar, and herbs to the mix.  Just as she was finished, the timer on the oven chimed.  Loki seemed to perk up when she removed the pan from the oven; he watched Tori cut out a piece of lasagna, dish up some tomato salad and chow-chow, and hand him the plate with some silverware.  He took a bite and closed his eyes.  Tori swore that she heard him moan to himself.  It was utterly indecent and put more ideas in Tori's head.

When they opened, Loki's eyes were bright and lively.  He said, "What is this so I can request this for dinner again?"

"Oh, you like the lasagna," she said with a measure of satisfaction.  "I will have to tell my grandmother that she has another devotee.  There's almost a cult following in this place."

"This is what Miss Lewis and Agent Coulson would fight over?"

"Yep.  I imagine it would be more a cage match than anything else."

The two of them continued to eat for a few minutes in silence.  Then Loki said, "They would have to get through me, first."

 


	4. Worst.  Houseguest.  Ever.

After they had finished their meal (Loki ate half a pan of lasagna all by himself), Tori loaded the dishwasher and grabbed a pair of spoons from the silverware drawer.  She went to the freezer and pulled out two pints of gelato: one black cherry and the other chocolate hazelnut.  "I don't know what flavors you like, but these are the only two I have."  She held the containers out to Loki for his inspection.

"Which one is your favorite?" he asked.

Tori replied, "Well, I like them both.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have them in my freezer.  Tonight, though, I want the chocolate one."

With her reply, Loki gave her a devilish grin, grab the chocolate one, and walked away.  "You ass!" Tori shouted.  "You did that just because I said I wanted it!"

He continued grinning as he sat down on the couch, pulling the lid off the gelato container.  He propped his feet up on her coffee table and scooped out a large spoonful of frozen, chocolatey goodness.  Tori watched as he slowly raised the spoon to his mouth.  His emerald eyes gleamed with amusement as he watched her watch him take his first big bite of what should have been her gelato.  " _Of course, he's making a big show of enjoying it_ ," fumed Tori.  As with the lasagna, Loki's moans were bordering on obscene as he closed his eyes and slowly removed the spoon from his mouth.

Tori went to sit down on the couch with her cherry gelato, but quickly got an idea.  " _Oh, yeah?  Two can play that game_ ," she thought.  While his eyes were still closed, Tori crept over to his end of the couch.  Her spoon was poised to strike.  Loki's eyes remained closed; Tori was standing next to the armrest now.  She went for it.  Her spoon dove for the container in Loki's hand.  She was successful in getting some of the gelato, but Loki's free hand was a blur as it seized her wrist.

"Really, Vittoria?  You will have to be quicker than that," he said with a smirk.  Tori struggled to free her wrist, but Loki held on with no indication that he was letting her go.  He continued to smirk as he drew her hand, and the spoon, to his mouth without taking his eyes off of hers.  He then took the big bite of gelato that Tori had stolen for herself, savoring it.  Then, to add insult to injury, he licked the spoon in a slow, sensuous manner that made Tori's mind swerve right into the gutter.  His smirk had since become a lascivious grin.

"However, since you are so obliging as to wait on me this way..." his voice trailed off as he used Tori's hand and spoon to take another bite of his gelato.  When he finally withdrew the spoon from his lips, he took his feet off the coffee table.

"There is really no reason for you to remain standing, Vittoria.  Please, have a seat."

Tori was too shocked to do anything but allow Loki to steer her around the end of the couch and maneuver her to the spot next to him.  Loki still held her wrist in his grasp and now was eyeing the container in Tori's other hand.  "I think that I should to try that one now."

It didn't register in Tori's mind what Loki meant until he set down his pint and used his free hand to grab a hold on Tori's other wrist to bring her container of gelato between them.  Now, Tori was over the initial shock.  "What the hell!  You have yours.  Let me enjoy mine!"

"Oh, but you were planning to help yourself to mine, were you not?"  Loki grinned at her as he used her hand and spoon to help himself to a bite of the cherry gelato.  His eyes lit up as he took another bite and said, "I like this one."

Rolling her eyes, but still flustered at the contact and proximity of Loki's body to hers, Tori mustered as much disgust as she could.  "Would you please make up your mind which one you want?"

Loki paused, mid-bite, and cocked an eyebrow toward her.  "What if I want both of them?"

Tori harrumphed, "Why am I not surprised that you would want both?  I suppose it's just to spite me."

"No," he said nonchalantly.  "I like them both.  I cannot help that you have good taste."  Tori continued to eye him, letting her annoyance be known.  After he took another bite of Tori's gelato, Loki released Tori's wrists.  He took up his own pint and spoon and sat back in the couch.

"What shall we watch this evening?" he asked as if he hadn't just spent the last five (or was it ten?) minutes tormenting Tori with his inappropriate eating of frozen desserts.  She finally had sense enough to locate the remote and turned on her TV.

Giving him a sideways glance Tori said, "I don't know what you like to watch.  I have a bunch of movies on my DVR and Netflix.  I only watch a few shows."

Tori scrolled through the titles, thinking to herself, " _What would the God of Mischief watch without too much complaining?_ "  She automatically ruled out anything remotely rom-com or of the Jane Austen period piece variety.  As tempting as it was, she refrained from making him watch _Despicable Me_ or _Frozen_.  (She had heard that Tony called him Queen Elsa once.  Once.  It didn't end well.)  She finally settled on _Sherlock._  This seemed like a good choice, as Loki had resumed propping his feet on the coffee table and leisurely eating his gelato with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

At some point in the middle of the first episode, Loki held his spoon in front of Tori's face, offering her a bite of his gelato.  Tori reached for the spoon, but Loki pulled back with a playful smirk.  "Really?  You're going to feed me?" asked Tori incredulously.

"You don't trust me, Vittoria?" replied Loki with the smirk still tugging at his lips.

Still skeptical, Tori opened her mouth.  He fed her a spoonful of gelato, then offered her another. The second time, he bumped the spoon against the tip of Tori's nose.  "Hey!" she shouted as she laughed at him.  Loki chuckled as he conjured a napkin for her to wipe the tip of her nose.  The two settled into a comfortable silence, occasionally broken by chuckles at the one-liners and situations in the show.  It entertained Loki enough for him to watch two more episodes before declaring that he would like to retire for the evening.

After showing Loki where the bathroom was (right through her bedroom), Tori gathered some blankets and a pillow and began to make up the couch for him.  Looking down at it, she realized that couch was just a smidge too short for him to completely stretch out.  Even with the back cushions taken off the couch, it might be too narrow for Loki to do anything but sleep on his side.  Oh, well.  He was just going to have to deal with it for a few weeks.  "What is taking him so long?" Tori thought as she realized she had not heard the water running for a while.

She walked into her room to the shock of her life.  There was Loki, God of Mischief, bare chested, only in black silk pajama bottoms, and sprawled out on her bed!  He had taken one of her books from her nightstand and was reading!  Tori was slack-jawed at the sight.  Her indignation warred with her desire to keep on staring at the gorgeous man.  This internal conflict short-circuited her brain, so Tori just stood there like an idiot.  Without looking up from the book, Loki said with a knowing smirk, "Vittoria, are you planning to stand there all night like a sentry?  Or are you going to prepare for sleep?"

His condescension and mocking tone snapped her right back to reality.  Tori glared at him.  "This is my room! You are supposed to be sleeping on the couch.  I went to the trouble to make it as comfortable as I could."

Loki looked up from the book with what Tori now assumed was his favorite expression and said, "Vittoria, I appreciate your efforts.  However, I am sure they fall short of the mark, in terms of ensuring my comfort.  As my host, I am sure that you desire nothing more than my comfort.  I am perfectly comfortable, right here."

Tori's face turned a shade of red that Loki usually associated with at a boiling caldron.  "As my _guest_ ," she hissed, "shouldn't you be concerned with inconveniencing me as little as possible?"

"It only makes sense that you, as the smaller one of us, take the couch and sacrifice your convenience for your guest's comfort," he argued.  One look at her told Loki that Tori was not buying his well-reasoned argument.  He continued with a triumphant smirk, "I will make you a deal.  If you can forcibly remove me from your bed, you may have it to yourself."

Tori wasn't going to waste her time arguing with him right now.  She chose, instead, to get her pajamas and get ready for bed.  As she washed her face and brushed her teeth, Tori mulled it over.  " _If I can forcibly remove him from the bed..._ "  The lights above her mirror caught the jewels of the cuff bracelet that Fandral gave her.  Tori grinned at herself in the mirror.  It was time to test this baby out.

Loki had resumed his leisurely reading while Tori was in the bathroom.  He glanced up to see her walking out of the room, wearing a t-shirt that was two sizes too large and a pair of shorts, and headed toward the makeshift bed on the couch.  Loki was surprised that the woman would relinquish her bed so easily.  After what he had heard about her tenacity, he expected more of a fight.  At the very least, he expected some obligatory, yet feeble, attempts to tug at his arm or push against him.  Loki might have looked forward to that.  He was about to place a slip of paper between the pages and turn off the bedside lamp when he suddenly felt a pull.  The pull was not gentle, and it came from some unknown source.  As he remained in his spot the pull went from uncomfortable to excruciating.  It was calling him to the living room.  Loki ground his teeth in anger, as the realization came over him.  Swinging his feet over the edge of the bed, and stalked toward the bedroom door.  As he approached it, the pain faded to discomfort.  He could now see the woman, grinning triumphantly as she stood next to the couch.  The gems on the cuff gleamed in the low light of the living room.

"Hey!  It really does work!" she crowed.

"That is not a toy, you foolish girl!" Loki snarled at her.

Tori continued to grin, her hands now on her hips.  "Yeah?  Well, I'm not playing around, and a deal's a deal.  You said if I could forcibly remove you from my bed, that you'd sleep on the couch.  This is me, forcing you out here."

In spite of his irritation at having been rousted from the comfort of Tori's bed, Loki had to hand it to her.  She was inventive.  However, he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that.  Rolling his eyes, Loki said "A deal is a deal, Vittoria.  I shall sleep out here.  For now.  At this moment, I will bid you good night."

Tori chuckled softly as she walked over to her bedroom door and said, "Good night, Loki.  If you need anything, you know where to find me."

The door behind her with a soft click.  Loki looked down at the couch and sighed to himself.  At least the woman had tried to make the couch more comfortable; she tucked a sheet over the cushions of the couch and gave him plenty of blankets.  One blanket, in particular, was very nice.  It was obviously handmade of a soft yarn in warm shades of maroon, forest green, and terra cotta.  Loki pulled this blanket around him and breathed in its scent.  It smelled of water lilies and bergamot, like the woman's perfume.  He still would have prefer the comfort of her room, but sleep found Loki all the same.

Tori crawled under the covers with a sigh.  The cool sheets caressed her bare legs and the heft of the other blankets on the bed allow her to make a nest.  As she rolled on to her side to get comfortable, Tori breathed deeply.  Her pillow smelled like evergreens, new fallen snow, and something distinctly masculine.  Dammit!  As if it wasn't bad enough that she had him in her apartment.  Now she had to add, "God damn, he smells good!" to the list of distracting things about being Loki's handler.  Tori determined that he was, in fact, the worse houseguest and assignment that she had ever had.


	5. What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate

Tori awoke to the sound of running water from her bathroom.  The shower was going and the door was ajar.  "What the hell?" she grumbled as she threw back the covers.  Tori got up from her bed and walked over to the bathroom door to shut it.  In desperate need of caffeine, Tori shuffled out to the kitchen.  She fired up her coffee grinder and filled the reservoir on the coffee machine with water.  Once the coffee was brewing, she put some of Nonna's lemon curd cornetti on a plate.  Coffee drank and breakfast eaten, she left some out for her guest.  Tori walked back toward her room.  The bathroom door was open once more, but the water had stopped.  Not thinking anything of it, Tori began to get her clothes laid out of the day.

Tori started talking over her shoulder as she turned toward the open bathroom door.  "Loki?  Are you done in there, because I need to...WHOA!"

As Tori turned to the door, she found herself staring at a very naked God of Mischief.  He had his back to her and was drying his hair.  Reflexively, her hand flew up to her face to cover her eyes, but not before she had gotten a good look at him.  " _Oh my God!  He has the most perfect ass I have ever seen.  This is not fair!  Not fucking fair!_ "  Tori had also noticed some faint scars across his back, physical reminders of past battles and the fact that he was not truly immortal or impervious to damage.  If anything, scars made him even sexier.  Tori had to deliver a mental slap to herself.  She was supposed to be in charge of keeping him out of trouble, but she kept thinking of ways to get into to trouble with him!

Loki, upon hearing Tori's exclamation, stopped drying his hair.  He lower the towel and wrapped it around his waist, before turning to face a thoroughly embarrassed Agent Scarpetti.  He was grinning at her obvious discomfort as he looked at her.  "You may look now, Vittoria.  Although, I thought you would have taken the opportunity to enjoy the view."  She still had her hand over her eyes and peeked from between her fingers when he spoke.  

As she lowered her hand, she scowled at him.  "You are so vain!  How can you walk through any of the doors in this place with your head that swelled up?"  Her words conveyed annoyance, but Tori was blushing as furiously as she was the first time Loki had seen her.

Loki was delighted by her reaction and grinned wolfishly as he stepped out of the bathroom.  He leaned over a bit, and lowered his voice as he said, "Look while you can, Agent Scarpetti.  In a few weeks, we shall have separate quarters.  Then whatever shall you do?"

Tori shrugged and stepped into the bathroom.  "I guess I will just have to find eye candy that doesn't come with a side of smug.  Now, if you don't mind, I have to get dressed because we have to report to the training facility in an hour.  There's coffee if you want it, and I put out some pastries."

She may have closed the door with a little too much vigor.  It slammed behind her as she started the water running.  Tori quickly showered, trying to push the image of Loki's naked ass out of her mind.  That, along with the sight of him in her bed last night, and he scent that still lingered on her pillow this morning was enough to drive her mad.  She found herself coping with the warmth pooling between her legs.  " _Focus, Scarpetti.  Focus.  Do you want to blow your one shot at getting back in the field?_ "  Shutting the water off, she pulled back the curtain and reached for her towel.  She shriek and pulled the curtain shut so fast that she almost ripped it from the rod.  There was Loki, using her sink and mirror to shave.

"Loki!  Couldn't you have waited!?!  Or at least let me know that you were there?"

Tori heard the smirk in his voice as he replied, "But you told me that we had to be at the training facility in an hour, Vittoria.  Since you have only one bathroom, we have to make the most of sharing."

Tori reached out from behind the curtain, grasping for the towel that was hanging on the bar.  She couldn't feel it.  The curtain was suddenly pulled back, to reveal Loki holding onto the towel and looking down at her as she tried to cover herself with her arms.  "By the way, Vittoria, I would have never guessed this was hiding under that ridiculous uniform."

Loki chuckled at seeing her blush deepen under his gaze and that the lovely shade of red gracing her cheeks had travelled down her neck and spread across the rest of her body.  "There is no need to be embarrassed.  I only think it fair that I get to look at you the way that you looked at me this morning."

Snatching the towel from Loki's hand, Tori hastily wrapped about her.  She glared at him as she said, "Oh?  Well, I wasn't ogling you!  I had accidentally caught a glimpse of you.  There's a bit of a difference between that and you leering at me."

Tori tried to move past Loki, but he filled the doorway.  Now, he was peering down at her with an amused gleam in his eyes.  "Why, Vittoria, you wound me deeply.  I was simply admiring your figure.  I would hardly call it leering."

Avoiding his gaze, Tori ducked under Loki's arm and scooted past him into the bedroom.  She stood by the bedroom door, motioning for Loki to leave.  As he past her, he gave her a wink and said, "Do hurry, Vittoria.  We are going to be late to our first day of training together.  People may talk."  Tori slammed the door in his smug face.

After Tori made quick work of getting dressed and braiding her hair, she exited her bedroom to find Loki leisurely drinking coffee and eating the last the cornetti.  Waving the remaining portion of the pastry in the air, Loki declared that it was now his favorite baked good from Midgard.  "Only next time," he said, "a chocolate or berry filling would be better."

Tori simply rolled her eyes, grabbed her tablet, and headed for the door.  "Come on, Loki.  You can give me baking pointers later."

* * *

The looks that they got as they walked down the halls ranged from apprehension to outright fear.  Tori periodically looked up at her new charge and saw that he greeted it all with the same level of indifference.  As people looked at her, however, she couldn't help but hear the steady buzz of background noise caused by their murmurs.  Of course, people are going to talk about this.  Fury deciding to pair a war criminal with a disgraced agent was tailor-made for idle break room gossip.  Agent Scarpetti met them all with her chin up and her shoulders back; if she was bothered by the comments and stares, she wasn't going to show it.

The reached the training facility just as Captain America and Thor were walking up to the door.  Thor greeted them as he greeted everyone, with a big, goofy smile.  "Good morning Agent Scarpetti.  Loki.  I trust that you are both rested and ready to begin working together."

Loki gave Tori a sideways glance as his smirk broadened.  "I know that I am.  I do not know that we can expect much from Agent Scarpetti.  We shall see."

"Agent Scarpetti isn't enhanced, but she has proven to be resourceful in hand-to-hand combat.  You might be surprised," replied Captain Rogers.

With that, the four of them enter the facility.  The first thirty minutes was spent putting Tori through her paces.  Steve sparred with Tori, and the woman landed more than a few good hits. What she lacked in strength, she made up for in ingenuity and being able to get in close.  Thor and Loki collectively blinked when Tori succeeded in knocking Steve off-balance taking his shield and using it as a saucer to slide by him as he took a swing.  She stomped on the edge of the shield, flipping it up into her hands, and swung it Steve with both hands.  Tori's hit connected and put him on the ground.

Thor looked at his brother and said, "She is not half bad.  I wonder how she handles weaponry."

Steve and Tori heard Thor's comment as they approached the edge of the mat.  "Tori's marksmanship is on par with Romanov's and Barton's.  She scored at the top of her class with a long rifle and with a handgun.  As for hand-to-hand combat, Tori?"

"I'm okay with a blade, though I prefer to do any killing from a distance," she said with a shrug.

Loki regarded her with an arrogant smirk, "And that, Agent Scarpetti, is something that we shall have to remedy.  You will not always have the luxury of killing an enemy at a distance."

Steve found them some training daggers in the supply closet.  Handing them to Tori and Loki, he said, "Alright.  Let's see what you've got, Tori."

No sooner had Tori stepped into the ring, than Loki started circling her with a predatory grin.  She could tell that he was in the zone now, and she didn't expect much in the way of mercy.  Rather than turning to face him, Tori stayed still and watched Loki's reflection in the glass on the windows.  His circles were closing, like a shark's, but he wasn't close enough for Tori to have any chance of beating him.  Her attempt to steal his gelato taught her that.  Tori saw a barely perceptible flicker in his eyes, then he lunged.

Tori sidestepped, but felt the air next to her move as Loki's hand and the rubber blade of the practice dagger now occupied the space where she had been standing.  Now that he's stance had opened up, Tori had an opportunity; she bent her knees and spun toward Loki.  Using the momentum from her spin and straightening her knees, she made to land a blow on Loki's abdomen.  As soon as she connected, though, he grabbed her wrist and spun her so her back was pressed against him.  He had the practice blade at her throat and his hand in her hair, pulling her head back to expose her jugular.

"You left yourself exposed.  You would have wounded me, Vittoria, but l would have slit your lovely throat," he purred into her ear before he let her go.  His speed and the force that he used to take her off-balance left Tori breathless.  Loki, on the other hand, looked like he had just been taking a stroll in the park.  Without waiting for her to ready herself, Loki began circling again.  Shaking it off, she went back to watching him.  This time, though, he came at her from the side.  When he lunged Tori grabbed the wrist of his right arm and stabbed at his armpit.

"That was smart, Vittoria.  If you can, hit an artery.  However, you have forgotten one thing."  With that, the practice blade materialized in Loki's left hand.  He reversed Tori's hold on him and was now doing the same thing to her.

When he let go of her, Loki said, "You cannot sit back and admire your handiwork.  If your opponent is still a threat, you must keep fighting.  Now, go again."

This continued for an hour, after which Tori was dripping with sweat and sucking air.  She was on defense almost the entire time, but Loki was surprisingly good at giving her pointers.  That one time she got cocky and thought that she could attack him, Loki had been waiting for her.  He disarmed and put her down into the mat, knocking the wind out of her.  Steve and Thor ran over to help her up, but she waved them off.  Loki glared at them as they backed away and said, "How is she supposed to learn from her mistakes if you coddle her?  I have not injured Agent Scarpetti, she just a bit winded.  Right, Vittoria?"

Tori staggered to her feet, resting her hands on her knees to catch her breath.  Still winded, and with a sore back, she just gave a thumbs up.  Loki turned back to the other two with a smirk, "See?  She has survived."

Steve, still looking at Tori with concern, decided that the training session was over for the day.  As Tori hobbled off, Thor turned to his brother.  "So?  What do you think?"

Loki shrugged noncommittally, "She is a sight more clever than the other agents on whom you have tried to pawn me off.  She is a fast learner, so she is not totally without hope.  Still, she is a mortal, and they are so very fragile."

"That is all the more reason for you to watch over her, then.  If anything were to befall her, Loki, I cannot guarantee that SHIELD would allow another agent to look after you in my absence."

"And what an inconvenience that would be for you, Thor.  You would have to keep watching over me.  As much a punishment for you as it is for me, I'm sure."

"Loki, I had to convince Father to let you serve out your sentence here.  Do you honestly prefer a cell in the dungeon?" Thor look at his brother skeptically.

Loki was watching Tori speaking with Captain Rogers.  He appeared to be offering words of encouragement after what had turned into a grueling session.  Thor followed Loki's gaze, then said with a faint smile, "You asked for me to request Agent Scarpetti.  Don't tell me it was only because she's clever."

The God of Mischief made a sour face at this.  "My reasons are my own, Thor," he said as he stalked off toward the door.

Steve had just been telling Tori he was "more than impressed" with how she did, when Loki blew by and grabbed Tori by the arm.  "Come along, Vittoria.  I would like to have our midday meal sometime today."

Tori didn't have time to say good-bye to Steve or Thor as she was being hustled out of the training room.  Loki tighten his hand around Tori's bicep to hurry her along, despite her protests.  They were halfway down the hall when Loki finally loosened his grip.  Tori pulled away and half-shouted, "What is the matter with you?  What was that all about?"

Loki cast a disdainful look at Tori as he continued down the hall.  "I am not going to wait for your beckon call, mortal.  If you and I are to work together, you will do exactly as I say.  Understood?  Right now, we are going to get something to eat."

Tori stopped in the middle of the hallway, arms folded over her chest.  Noticing that he no longer heard her footsteps along with his, Loki turned around to see Tori glaring at him.  "Do not make me come back there to get you?" he growled.

"I'm not moving until you apologize for being such an ass and explain this sudden mood swing.  You were pleasant, if a bit pervy, this morning.  You were tough, but helpful in training.  Now?  I don't know what's gotten into you."

Voice loaded with condescension, Loki said, "I do not owe you any explanation, Agent Scarpetti.  Do not make the mistake of believing that we are on equal footing here."

"You're right," Tori said.  "We aren't on equal footing because _I_ am _your_ handler. Remember?  I'm the one in charge, but I've chosen to treat you like a partner rather than my ward.  Maybe that was a mistake."  Tori stomped down the hallway, back toward her quarters and away from Loki.

Loki called out to her, "You do not get to walk away from me, mortal!  Come back here!"

"Watch me!" Tori shouted over her shoulder without a glance backward.


	6. Have a Snickers...Because You're a Cranky God When You're Hungry

Fury had been watching Tori and Loki's training session on a remote feed.  What he saw pleased him, up until Loki had grabbed Tori's arm and dragged her away.  Now, Thor and Captain Rogers were seated in his office.  Fury turn his scowl toward Thor.  "What was that all about?"

Thor started staring at his feet, finding them to be more interesting than making eye contact with the one-eyed, bald man seated before him.  "I am not sure, Fury.  However, I'm afraid that I may have said something to irritate Loki prior to him grabbing Agent Scarpetti and forcing her to leave the training room.  When they first arrived, Loki almost seemed to be in a good mood. I think that their work together went well, otherwise."

Fury scrutinized the God of Thunder, trying to decide if this was an honest opinion or one biased in favor of his adoptive brother.  At this point, Captain Rogers joined in.  "Fury, Thor is right about their training together.  Loki wasn't easy on her, but Tori's one tough cookie."

The Director of SHIELD weighed the super-soldiers words against his own thoughts before turning back to the large blond man, who looked like a student getting scolded in the principal's office.  "Thor, you specifically requested Agent Scarpetti for this assignment.  I am giving you the benefit of the doubt by assuming that you saw or heard something that led you to believe that she was best suited for this.  Neither you nor your brother have worked with her previously."

"You are correct.  She has never worked with either Loki or me.  The thing that caught my attention was that she didn't shy away from Loki when they were introduced.  She treated him as if he were anyone else.  Previous agents have either been scared of him or treated him with open contempt."

The look on Thor's face told Fury that the big guy wasn't telling him the whole truth, but it was enough to satisfy Fury.  For now.  Rather than press the issue Fury said, "I need those two to be mission-ready and able to work together.  Thor, I am going to ask you the same question I asked before I agreed to this arrangement.  Do you think that Loki will have Agent Scarpetti's back if there's trouble?"

Before Thor could answer, Steve interjected, "Fury?  What if we give Tori some back up on their first mission together?"

Fury paused to consider this suggestion.  "Who would you recommend, Captain?"

"I think that Bucky is ready to go out in the field.  He's already comfortable with Tori and would be able to neutralize any threats."

"My brother is not a threat, Captain.  He cannot use his powers to harm innocents.  If he tries to use his powers for any purpose but to help others or protect himself from danger, he is severely punished by physical means."

"Just the same," said Fury, "it may not be a bad idea to have him join them on their trip to London."

"London?  That's next week.  Are you sure that's not too soon for them, Fury?" asked a surprised Steve.

"Relax, Cap.  They will only be part of the recon team supporting the mission.  Observe and report, nothing more."

While this didn't make Cap feel any better about the idea of Loki and Tori on a mission so soon, he was relieved that they would be out of the line of fire.  If things got too dicey, Bucky could get them out of trouble.  Thor, meanwhile, did not look thrilled to explain to Loki the he and Tori would have company on their first mission.

* * *

Tori had gone back to her quarters after her spat with Loki, rather than have lunch in the cafeteria.  At the moment, she was too pissed off to be in public.  " _What the hell is his problem?_ " she angrily thought as she threw together a sandwich.  She knew that Loki had a reputation for being moody but that didn't mean she wasn't going to give him a piece of her mind later.  Right now, she just needed to cool off.  As it turned out, literally.  It was the dog days of summer, so Tori decided to go for a swim.  There was, of course, the pool where everyone hung out.  Then there was Tori's spot to swim.

One of the advantages of being in upstate New York is that the SHIELD facility was surrounded by gorgeous countryside.  The river that wound its way across the vast property owned by SHIELD, slowing as it passed through a glade.  Even in the summer heat, the shade was cool in the secluded swimming hole.  She loaded up her mini-cooler with beer, threw her riding gear over her swimsuit, and grabbed her dirt bike.  Tori revved the engine and flew out of the shop building's doors before they were even completely opened.  Crossing her path were Thor and Loki, deep in conversation.  She almost ran them over but jerked the handlebars sharply, causing the back tire to fishtail before she took off down the road.  Tori chuckled to herself as she left them in the dust.

Loki and Thor stared after the speeding dirt bike as it tore across the field.  Loki continued to stare as he said, "Was that..."

A dumbstruck Thor said, "Yes, Loki.  I believe that was."

Clint walked up behind the two Asgardians.  "Hey, what are you two looking at?"  He followed their line of sight, spotting the figure that was flying like a bat out of Hell on a bright green and black Yamaha.  "Ah.  I see that Scarpetti is headed off to her not-so-secret swimming hole."

Loki now gave Clint a sideways glance.  "What do you mean, Agent Barton?  Is there not a swimming pool at this facility?"

Clint smirked, "There is, but Tori goes and hides out every once in a while at a spot along the river.  I only not about it because Nat followed her one day.  Sometimes she swims.  Sometimes she fishes.  Other times, she will just sit on the banks of the river, watching the water."

Steve and Bucky walked up to the men who watched Tori take a hill, catch air, and land on the other side.  Barton chuckled, "Well, she's riding mad so I'm guessing she doesn't want company."

"Who's riding mad?" asked Steve.

Barton answered with a smirk as he gave a sidelong glance at Loki, "Scarpetti.  I can't imagine why."

"Darn.  I need to talk to her about some changes to next week's mission," said Steve.  He and Bucky watched as Tori disappeared over a hill on her bike, the high-pitched whine of the engine fading in the distance.

Bucky shrugged and looked at Steve, "Scarpetti isn't that scary.  Where's this swimming hole of hers, Barton?"

"She's not scary, but she has a knack for causing trouble," said Clint.  "Ask Richards about the Fenway Park incident.  He can't prove it, but he thinks his fall down the stairs was because Scarpetti ducked and let him get hit from behind for letting a Sox fan grab her ass."

Loki was going to get to the bottom of _that_ mystery.  He had suspected that there was more to the story.  He was the God of Chaos, after all.  Even with his powers on a leash, Loki could sense creatures and situations that could be influenced to serve as agents of chaos when given the correct inspiration.  Tori was just such an individual.  She was marvelously unconventional and unpredictable.  Her angelic face belied this tendency, making her even more appealing to Loki.  It was, in fact, the reason that he had gotten Thor to ensure that if he was to be saddled with a SHIELD agent as his warden, it would be Vittoria Scarpetti.  Of course, that same unpredictability also led him to assume that like most of the younger SHIELD agents, she would be easily cowed with a few harsh words and looks.  Not so, as evidenced by her ditching him with Thor in the middle of the facility.  If he was going to continue with this arrangement, he would have to smooth things over with her.  "Barnes, I also need to speak with Agent Scarpetti.  I will join you."

Thor and Steve looked at each other and sighed, as Barton gave them directions.  It looked like all four of them were going to pester Tori.  She was going to be pissed.

* * *

Tori had torn across the countryside at full throttle, almost wrecking her bike twice.  The hairiest part of the ride had been when she entered the wooded area along the river.  The leaf litter on the trail to her swimming hole was damp and laid over the top of lush, green grass.  At the sharpest turn in the trail, she came close to wiping out.  She reached the bend in the river without incident.  Immediately, she shucked her boots and gloves.  Tori shed her jumpsuit like a snake shedding its skin, only her dusty green and blue suit gave way to a white bikini with red cherries printed on the fabric.

The water was quite a bit cooler than the air outside.  With no one around to see, Tori climbed up on the rock formation that jutted out from the shoreline.  Her swimming hole was about 15 feet deep, so diving off the rocks that sat about 8 feet above the water surface was not dangerous.  She dove in, the cold water almost taking her breath away.  She came back to the surface, and looked around her at the wooded stretch of river, the dappled light of mid-afternoon casting a green tint over everything as it reflected off the leaves.  She was about to lie on her back and float when she heard a twig snap.  Instinctually, Tori swam to the shore where she had her towel and cooler.  Stashed in the pocket of her cooler was her backup pistol.  She quietly flicked the safety "off" and racked one in the chamber.  She pressed her body against the rocks to give herself cover.  Whoever it was, they were making an effort to be quiet.  Tori decided to let them know they blew the element of surprise.  "I already heard you, so you can just come out.  Nice and easy."

With that, Tori heard footsteps in the leaves and twigs on the ground.  A dark head peered over the edge of the rocks above her.  At first, she thought it was Loki.  Then she saw the hair was shorter and straighter: it was Bucky Barnes.  Bucky looked down at Tori in the water, then saw the pistol in her left hand.  He grinned at her and said, "Geez, Tori.  Do you always carry a cannon with you?"

"Cannon?  This is my backup, Bucky."

The grin dropped from Bucky face as he nodded with grim approval.  "It's good that you carry it.  You can't be to careful."

"In our line of work?  I agree," Tori said as she unloaded the 9 mm and put it back in its hiding place.  "What brings you out this way?  Did you come for a swim?  Or would your arm rust?"

Bucky's laugh creaked a bit, like he still wasn't used to having a sense of humor.  Still, he laughed and shook his head.  Tori was the only one who could get away with teasing him about his metal arm because he could tease her right back about her own weirdness.  "No.  I actually came out here because you left before we could get you to come in for mission planning.  I didn't come alone."

"Well, I only brought enough beer for me and maybe one other person.  Yinz either need your own or need to make a beer run.  Who'd you bring with you?"

Bucky motioned for whoever it was to come forward.  Tori smile turned to a frown when she saw Loki.  She greeted each of them, "Thor.  Captain Rogers.  Killjoy."

Loki had no doubt that if looks could kill, Tori would have incinerated him on the spot.  He replied, "I suppose I deserve some of that."

The other three men all looked at him with surprise.  That almost sounded like an apology.  Of course, it was a Loki apology, so it wouldn't be complete without him adding, "Although, I must say that you were being inordinately slow.  I have a much higher metabolism than you and get...what's the word you Midgardians use...'hangry.'"

Thor, knowing his brother, also knew that Loki wasn't telling the whole truth.  He also saw that Agent Scarpetti wasn't completely buying it, either.  Tori cocked an eyebrow at Loki.  "You mean to tell me that you turning into Bossy McBitch was a result of you being hangry?  Why didn't you say so?  I'll have to start packing snacks wherever we go so you won't get that way.  Hell, we might have save a few agents their sanity if we had known _that_."

Loki asked with a glint in his eye, "Is this a truce, then?"

"Let's call it a temporary cessation of hostilities," Tori replied.

Deciding that was as much satisfaction as he was bound to get, Loki left it alone.  Tori continued swimming while she, Bucky, and Steve talked over the changes to their upcoming mission.  Loki only half-listened; he and Thor already discussed the fact that Barnes would be joining him with Scarpetti.  Having another set of eyes was always helpful, even if the former Hydra operative still seemed a bit cagey in certain situations.  Since they were only the forward recon for this mission, Loki and Tori both agreed that having Bucky along wouldn't be any big deal.  Loki found Tori's swimming to be a pleasant distraction; she stayed submerged up to her neck and treading water.  The gentle current would carry her for a bit before she swam back to the rocks.  He was amused to see that Barnes also found her distracting.

She eventually tired and came to sit on the rocks and opened her cooler.  They sat there, drinking beer and talking about things other than London.  Both Steve and Bucky were impressed with Tori's dirt bike and made plans to go riding when they got back from London.  Eventually the conversation turned to her last trip to Boston.  Steve was the one to bring it up.  "So, Tori, as a Yankees fan I have to say that I'm thrilled about you starting a riot in Boston.  However, my praise has to be off the record."

Tori laughed heartily.  "Yeah, I suppose that it wouldn't do for Captain America to condone violence during America's pastime, would it?"

"So, what happened?" asked Bucky.  "I heard that you let Richards take a hit because of something he had done earlier that day."

Tori rolled her eyes.  "Oh, yeah.  I've heard what Richards said.  He thinks I let him take header down the stairs because he didn't stop some guy from grabbing my ass."

Steve turned beet red at this and sputtered into his beer.  Tori laughed at Steve and said, "Actually, it wasn't just some random guy who grabbed my ass.  It was Richards."

"What!?!" cried the four men in unison.

"Yep.  Richards got a little too into our cover as a visiting couple from out of town.  Some of the other agents bet him that he wouldn't be able to get hands-on with me.  Let's just say that I know of easier ways to earn a hundred bucks.  Don't worry about the others involved.  Retribution will be swift and decisive."

"In what way?" inquired Loki.

Tori grinned back at him.  "The ball is already in motion.  By the weekend, you'll know what I mean."

"Shouldn't you have gone to Fury with this?" asked Steve.

Tori shrugged.  "I could, but then it becomes a 'he said/she said' battle and ultimately nothing will happen.  No, I plan to get mine.   _Then,_ I will tell Fury what happened."

Now, Loki wanted to know.  "You won't even give us a hint?"

"Why spoil the surprise?  I had two weeks' worth of time off to plan this.  I struggled between subtly and and all out war.  I think I've struck a good compromise."

With that, they finished their beers and headed back to the facility.  Loki was already trying to figure out how to wheedle information out of Tori.  If his intuition was telling him anything, Agent Scarpetti had cooked up a delicious piece of revenge on the agents responsible.


	7. Mission: Accomplished?

Try as he might, Loki was not able to pry any more information from Tori as to what she had planned for the three agents that had encouraged Agent Eric Richards to behave inappropriately.  No matter how he asked, she would simply smile and say, "It's going to leave a mark."

The remainder of the week flew by, between training and mission planning.  In their downtime, Tori taught Loki how to ride a dirt bike.  She was pleasantly surprised that he was kind of a speed demon.  Most people were scared to ride with Tori because they couldn't keep up or negotiate the trails.  Loki, on the other hand, wasn't afraid of wiping out and hurting himself.  He did, on more than one occasion, lay the bike over.  He walked away with nary a scratch.  She was tempted to turn him loose on a street bike, but thought better of it.  He'd probably end up pulling a Tony Stark: he'd soup it up and then either kill himself and/or a whole ton of people as a result.

Now, it was Friday.  Loki had been watching and waiting all week to see what Tori had done, but it appeared that all was quiet.  He then saw Tori's eyes light up when she spotted the clerical assistant that was delivering mail to various SHIELD agents.  Loki had overheard, during the months of his incarceration, the excited nattering of Midgardians over something called Amazon. He spotted the ubiquitous cardboard boxes with smiles on them being delivered to the three agents in question.  Tori, meanwhile, said nothing and simply watched as the men took their packages to their respective offices.

A loud _POP_ , followed by the faint tang of small quantities of low-grade explosive wafted in the air.  "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!?!?!" shouted one agent.

This was followed by two more loud _POP_ s and more indignant shouts.  The three men simultaneously ran out of their offices, their faces and hands covered in indigo blue ink.  Tori just sat back and watched as the three men all tried to figure out what the substance was and who could have possibly accosted them.  Loki's eavesdropping revealed that the three men had each ordered items from Amazon in the last week.  However, there had been a delay in the supply chain and their deliveries did not reach them until today...or so they thought.  Now, they were standing in the middle of the common area between offices and getting strange looks from passersby.

Tori gave Loki a quick glance and a satisfied smirk.  "I intercepted their deliveries and replaced them with a little surprise of my own.  They have just been hit with the ink that department stores use as an anti-theft deterrent.  The idea is that the ink will permanently stain fibers and render any shoplifted merchandise useless.  However, it also stains skin for a very, very long time.  The longer they stand there, the deeper the stain will be."

Loki grinned at her as he asked, "Why, Vittoria!  Are you planning to tell them that?"

Tori's smirk became a grin as she replied, "Nope."

By this time, one of Tori's victims had spotted her and Loki.  "You!" the large bald man roared.  "You are the one responsible for this!"

Tori kept on grinning as she faced her accuser.  She was about to reply when she heard Loki say, "Actually...Agent O'Connell, is it? This is all your doing.  All three of you brought it upon yourselves.  Maybe this will teach you to think before you try to encourage a junior agent to take liberties with his fellow agent."

One of the other agents piped up, "Beat it, pal.  This doesn't concern you, unless you help the little shit pull this off!"

Loki gave the man a devilish grin as he replied, "I wish that I had assisted Agent Scarpetti in this.  Although, I might have recommended battery acid rather than indelible ink."  

The three Smurf-tastic agents, along with Richards, had Jasper Sitwell as their SO, who was now rapidly approaching where they stood in the middle of a gathering crowd of SHIELD personnel.  "Scarpetti!" Sitwell barked, "what the hell have you done now?"

Tori replied, "Just extracting my pound of flesh, Agent Sitwell."

Coulson appeared to Tori's left.  "Agent Scarpetti, Director Fury would like to have word with you.  Now."  Judging by the look on Coulson's face, it wasn't going to be a happy word.

Tori, nudging Loki's elbow, said, "C'mon.  It looks like we have to go to the principal's office."

Loki gave each of the agents and their superior a parting smirk, before he chuckled at Tori's quip and turned to follow her down the hall.

* * *

Fury just sat at his desk, contemplating the two individuals seated before him.  He had just heard Agent Scarpetti's account of the events leading up to the very public humiliation of three of Sitwell's junior agents.  While Fury did not approve of his agents seeking vigilante justice, even in the form of a relatively harmless prank, he had a few questions for the woman.

"Tell me.  How did you manage to intercept their Amazon orders and replace the contents with your own?"

Tori smiled beatifically at Fury as she said, "I cannot divulge all of my secrets.  Let's just say that I know a few people in the Order Fulfillment Department, and I figured out how to hack their Amazon accounts so I could alter the tracking info."

"And you're saying that he," pointing to Loki, "had nothing to do with this?"

"No, sir.  Loki did not.  I planned and began to execute my plan while I was still on leave."

Fury sat back in his chair, still looking at Tori, as she said with a wry smile, "And you said that I lacked forward-thinking."

Her smartass comment made Fury fix her with his gaze.  "I would like to see this newfound ability to plan ahead put to better use.  You should have come to me with the issues between you and Richards.  I will sort this out personally.  Dismissed."

Fury waved his hand to indicate that they were done with their meeting.  Loki and Tori rose from their seats and headed for the door.  Before they reached it, Fury's voice caused them to turn around, "Oh, Scarpetti?  Don't think that the lack of disciplinary action today is my approval of your tactics.  Try to keep it professional."

Tori gave Fury a curt nod, then turned back to the door.  Loki, caught her eye and gave her a wink.  It took everything Tori had to keep from laughing before she was out in the hall.  Once the door had shut behind them, a giggle slipped out.  Loki said, "You could be more professional, but where's the fun in that?"

* * *

The flight to London was relatively uneventful.  Loki read several books from Tori's collection.  Tori also read, but fell asleep halfway through the flight.  Bucky sat quietly, alternating between watching Tori sleep and talking with Steve.  It was going to be strange to be in London, together, after all the years that had passed since they had last been.  It was bittersweet to both men.  Before they deplaned, Tori took a look at Loki.  "Um, is there anything that you can do to, you know, disguise yourself?"

Loki cocked an eyebrow at her.  "What is the matter, Vittoria?  Are you afraid to be seen in public with me?"

Rolling her eyes, Tori replied, "Puh-leez.  I'm just thinking that you sort of stand out and maybe, just maybe, we ought to be a little less conspicuous.  We are the recon team, after all."

"She has a point, Loki.  It's not widely known that you are working with us," said Steve.

Loki took in how the others were dressed.  Steve and Bucky were wearing jeans and collared shirts.  Tori wore a green floral print dress with a white short-sleeved sweater.  She also wore the golden bracelet that Fandral gave her.  With a wave of his hands, Loki's armor and leather coat vanished as a nicely tailored dark green suit and a dark gray shirt took their place.  He shortened and lightened his hair to a reddish brown and change his eye color to blue.  For good measure, he added a neatly trimmed goatee.  " _Of course, he's too vain to be a regular joe_."

Tori shook her head.  "Now you're just showboating.  This look isn't exactly inconspicuous, but it'll do."

The four of them got off the plane in the secured hangar, loading up into the car waiting for them.

* * *

"Talk about hiding in plain sight!" Tori said in disbelief.  She was seated at an outdoor cafe, overlooking the Thames.  Loki was seated at her table, while Steve and Bucky were at a park bench directly across from their target.  For the past hour, the four of them had been watching the comings and goings from a building with a not so subtly stylized octopus as its logo.

"You know the part that gets me?" she asked.

"Hmm," replied Loki from his cup of tea.

"For a bunch of people hell-bent on global domination, they are too dumb to know their mythology.  The hydra was a multi-headed monster, not a friggin' octopus."

Loki snickered, while Steve chastised them to keep the comm channel open.

"Look, all I'm saying is that I'd think these guys would do a better job with their marketing.  There's a world of difference between a mythological creature and something that tastes delicious when it's bread, fried, and served with marinara."

Loki chuckled, "She has a point, Captain."

"Are you two even watching, or are you too busy making jokes?"

Tori replied, "Don't worry.  We're watching, but we'd look awfully suspicious if we weren't talking.  Wouldn't we?"

Loki set his teacup down in its saucer.  Tori couldn't see his eyes from behind the sunglasses he wore, but his jaw tensed like he was watching something.  "Vittoria, the man that is entering the building now.  Did he not go in there an hour ago?"

Tori's eyes drifted over to the entrance of the building.  She saw a man with thick white hair, slicked back, in a navy blue suit.  Despite his white hair, the man did not appear to be much older than fifty.  Loki was right, he had entered the building before...but never came out.  Now here he was, walking back in the front door.  "You're right, Loki. Guys, whatever they are moving, they must be leaving another way."

"Copy that, Scarpetti.  We are going to check the next couple of blocks to see if we can find it.  Hold your positions."

Steve and Bucky rose from their bench and began walking.  Tori continued to watch the front entrance of the business, hating the idea of just staying put.  That's when she had an idea.  She finished the last of her tea and motioned for Loki to turn off his comm.  She reached behind her ear and turned off hers, then leaned across the table.  "I don't know about you, but I have no intention of just sitting here while those two have all the fun."

Raising an eyebrow, the God of Mischief recognized the look on Tori's face as one the he had worn on more than one occasion.  "Vittoria," he said in a warning voice, "are you certain that going off-script your first day back in the field is wise?"

"Who said that we are going off-script?  I just want to get a closer look.  Of course, you can stay here if you like.  I just never figured that you were one to behave himself."

Loki removed his sunglasses and leaned in, lowering his voice, "I know what you're trying to do, Vittoria.  It is not going to work."

Lowering her own sunglasses, Tori batted her eyes at him.  "Loki, I'm not sure that I know what you mean.  Now, if you wouldn't mind getting the check, I'm going to take a walk."

She placed her sunglasses back on the bridge of her nose, and rose from her chair.  Tori grabbed her handbag and walked by him, her skirt brushing against Loki's knees as she went.  Halfway to the exit, she turned to face him.  "You're really going to stay here?  Fine.  I'll see you later."

Tori turn her comm back on and kept on walking.  Loki just shook his head and remained seated, watching her sashay between the tables.  Tori vanished into the building, emerging on the street side of the railing that separated the cafe's patio from the sidewalk.  She walked with a meandering gait, like she was just casually window-shopping.  As she walked, Loki watched.  She slowed down as she approached the shopfront.  There was a young man with wavy blond hair, dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt topped with a black leather jacket, and grey shoes approaching the door of the building that housed Hydra's not-so-hidden installation.  Then he heard the man's voice speaking over the commlink, "So, do you shop here often?"

Tori replied with a shy laugh, "Oh, no.  I'm just a tourist.  Do you?"

The man said, "A friend recommend this place.  You're American, right?"

Loki bristled slightly as he saw this young man obviously flirting with Tori.  He growled into the comm, "Vittoria, I let you go in for a closer look at the _building_.  Not the clientele."

"Loki, what's going on out there?" Steve's voice was tight as he spoke over the comm channel.

"Agent Scarpetti insisted on taking a closer look at the storefront.  And..." Loki watched as Tori continued flirting with the young man who was now holding the door open for her.  "Damn.  She just went inside."

Steve's frustration was palpable as he growled into his comm.  "What the hell is she doing?  Loki, keep watching the front of the building.  Barnes and I are heading back around your way."

Loki was not able to respond before he saw Tori, dragging her mystery man out of the store by the hand.  The windows disappeared as smoke and shards of glass filled the air.  The blast knocked Tori off balance and she stumbled forward without falling.  The man, on the other hand, face planted on the pavement.  Loki laughed the clumsy clod, then saw Tori struggle to get him on his feet.  Two men in tactical gear emerged from the smoke roiling out of the building and started shooting at Tori and the hapless young man.  Rolling his eyes, Loki rose from his chair.  He straighten his suit, and teleported between the Hydra agents and Tori.  His throwing knives materialized in his hand.  With one smooth motion, he dispatched the shooters.

He then grabbed Tori and her new friend, and teleported them out of the street.  In the blink of an eye, they were on the patio of the cafe.  More Hydra operatives started coming out of the building.  Some were carrying cases, others were sweeping the area with their weapons.  Tori produced her pistol from her handbag and took cover in a doorway.  She started taking shots at the men coming out of the building.  She called out over the comm, "This is Scarpetti.  I have multiple subjects coming out the front.  We can pin them down but need reinforcements."

"Copy that.  We have subjects coming out of a hidden door in the alley behind the building.  SHIELD Tactical ETA is 5 minutes."

"Woman!  What do you think you're doing?"  Loki was now behind her, pulling her backward into the cafe.

She stepped toward the door, shouting back at him, "I'm keeping them busy for another five minutes."

"No, you're not!  Stay here!" Loki snarled.

"Like hell I am!  You can't make me!" she snarled back.

Loki smirked fiendishly, "Can't I, though?"

With that, Loki teleported outside and the doors slammed shut.  Tori tried opening the doors, but they were locked.  Loki was now laughing at her, which just made Tori mad.  "You smug asshole!  Let me out of here!" she shrieked.

"There's no chance of that, Vittoria.  Now, be a good girl and stay here," Loki said in a patronizing tone as he teleported into the fray.

Tori started looking around the cafe.  She needed to get out there to help, and magic or not, Loki wasn't going to keep her trapped inside.  Tom, the man that Tori pulled out of the building before it blew up, looked very concerned for her well-being as she had the look of a crazed woman.  "Tori, please calm down.  You are much safer in here."

Tom was obviously perturbed.  Whether it was by the explosion, the fact that she packed a pistol, or the fact that the two of them had been teleported away from the action, was unclear.  In any case, Tori wasn't about to let Tom distract her.  Her eyes landed on a small pedestal table near a window.  Using her forearm to sweep the place setting away, Tori picked up the table and threw it through the glass door, feet first.  The glass shattered and she dove through it, glass crunching under foot as she reloaded her pistol and ran down the street.  " _There's that arrogant bastard!_ " she thought as she saw Loki throwing knives and busting heads open, laughing like a maniac.

One especially big man was coming up on Loki's back, wielding what looked like an electrically-charged mace.  Tori took aim and put a bullet through his left eye.  The big man dropped to his knees and fell face-forward at Loki's feet.  The God of Mischief's eyes glowed green as he had partially dropped his glamour while fighting.  He looked at Tori with shock, then irritation.  "I would have handled that, Vittoria," he said over his comm.

"Sure you would have.  After he either zapped you or used your head for batting practice."

A quinjet swooped in overhead and SHIELD's tactical team arrived on the ground.  They made short work of it, either shooting or apprehending Hydra agents and scientists that came pouring out of the building.  The street was eerily quiet after the firefight was over.  Loki and Tori turned to look back up the street toward the cafe; other than some shrapnel and a few dead Hydra agents, there wasn't too much damage beyond the area immediately outside the store.  Unless you counted the busted out glass door at the cafe.  Suddenly, there was a loud metallic bang!  Everyone whirled around to face the store, seeing the sign spinning and clatter to the sidewalk below.

"It's okay, everyone," shouted Tori.  "It's just a sign."

"Oh it's a sign, alright," Tori heard Nick Fury's voice in her earpiece.  "You're in deep shit, Scarpetti."


	8. Unintended Side-Effects

The quinjet touched down at the SHIELD facility, disgorging its passengers.  Tori really didn't want to see anyone, so she lagged behind and waited for everyone else to get off the jet before she emerged.  She had just gotten a massive ass-chewing from Fury that lasted from the time she got on the jet in London to the until they were about halfway over the Atlantic.  Thank God Loki had been occupying himself by reading something on a tablet that Stark had loaned him.  If she could have crawled under a rock to disappear, she would have.  The one thing Fury did compliment her on, though, was the fact that she and Loki had managed to contain the threat and keep them pinned down either in the building or directly out front. Sitwell didn't have much to do when his team got there.

Sitwell.  That was another reason for her to try to sneak off the jet.  That asshole just couldn't help but gloat about "coming in to save the day."  It was more like he was the clean up crew on Aisle 9; the recon team did most of the heavy lifting.  Tori was a team player, but she loathed dealing with glory hogs.  Of course, Sitwell was quick to point out that the recon team was not supposed to engage the target.  No doubt, after the reprimand she got from Fury, Sitwell and his team had returned the conquering heroes.  "That fucking weasel!  No, that's an insult to weasels the world over," Tori muttered to herself.

Tori practically jumped out of her skin when she heard a sonorous voice say, "I agree.  Don't insult the weasels."

"Jesus, Loki!  Don't do that!" Tori watched as he emerged from the shadows at the opposite end of the jet's cabin.  As he prowled closer to her, Tori noticed that his face was missing its trademark smirk.

Instead, he sat next to her on the bench and asked, "What are you still doing in here?"

"I don't want to face the world right now.  I figured if I just waited for a bit, I could sneak back to my quarters without being noticed."

Loki then gave her a playful smirk as he said, "I could help that."  Before Tori could say anything, Loki grabbed her around the waist and stood, taking her with him.  He then teleported them to her quarters.

Tori looked about her in surprise, not noticing that Loki's arms were still around her waist as they stood in the middle of her living room.  It also didn't immediately occur to her that she had reflexively put her arms around Loki's neck when he hauled her out of her seat.  It wasn't until she noticed Loki looking down at her with an amused look that she let go.  Almost reluctantly, Loki set Tori down on her feet.  "Thank you," she said as she backed away shyly.

Loki continued to look at her with that expression on his face, which made Tori uncomfortable.  She couldn't tell if it was him laughing _with_ her or _at_ her.  Since she was embarrassed, Tori assumed that he was laughing at her.  Oh well.  Loki interrupted her thoughts by saying, "I assume that Agent Sitwell was the 'weasel' that you cursed so vociferously."

With a wry smile, Tori replied, "You assume correctly, but I really don't want talk about him.  Right now, I need to drown my shame in a bottle of wine."

"You really have nothing of which to be ashamed.  Although, I have to ask, what the hell were you thinking entering the building?"

Tori by now had kicked off her boots and poured herself a hefty glass of red wine.  Before she answered, she grabbed a second glass and brought it and the bottle over to the coffee table. Setting them in front of Loki, she replied, "To be perfectly honest, it would have looked strange for me to be loitering after that guy struck up a conversation with me.  I thought that by entering the shop with him I wouldn't have been so suspicious.  I thought wrong.  Apparently, we were made before our team even arrived.  As soon as they saw me, the two idiots behind the counter sounded the alarm.  Rather than letting them get away, I thought it would be better to leave a little souvenir."

"A souvenir?"

"Yeah.  I had a small, really unimpressive incendiary device in my purse.  Just as a distraction, really.  Unfortunately, it landed in something highly flammable and volatile.  So, I grabbed Tom and ran out the door."

The God of Mischief was covering his mouth, but his eyes were gleaming.  Tori reached out with her foot and shoved him in the thigh, "Oh, go ahead and laugh!  You're doing a shitty job of making me feel better, you know that?"

That just made Loki laugh even more.  Tori threw a pillow at his head, which he caught deftly.  As he continued chuckling, Loki suggested that Tori go get a shower.  "I know how long you take, and I would like to bathe sometime before the stroke of midnight."

Tori just stuck out her tongue in response and, taking her glass of wine, wandered into her room.  The warm water felt good, washing the grime and soot from her skin and hair.  The dress and sweater she had worn weren't a total loss, but were still going to be a pain in the ass to clean.  As she dried off and put on yoga pants and a tank top, Tori could smell food cooking.  She also had a text message on her phone.  It was from Tom.  The text read, "I would like to take you out sometime.  Preferably someplace where we won't get shot.  I will be in New York in a few weeks.  May I call you then?"

Tori was actually giddy as she texted him back, "Not getting shot at on a date would be a new experience ;) j/k Seriously, call me when you're in town.  I'd love to meet up!"  She came out of her room, hair still wet, to see Loki had already cooked dinner and set their places.

"Wow!  Maybe I should have a bad day more often," Tori smiled at him.  "Where did you learn how to cook?"  Tori noticed that he had grilled pork chops and some asparagus to go with the leftover risotto she had in the fridge.

"I am not completely without domestic skills, Vittoria.  Just selective in how I use them.  Now, eat before it gets cold."

Loki pulled out a chair for Tori as she made her way to the table.  Once seated, Tori realized just how hungry she really was.  She hadn't the stomach to eat anything after being excoriated by Fury, so the last she had eaten was in London.  Over dinner, the two of them talked about shared experiences with watching other people take credit for their successes and delegating failures.  "The All-Father is quite fond of praising Thor for things he hasn't done and blaming me for things that Thor has botched," Loki said as he poured Tori another glass of wine.

Tori snorted, "Oh, I know how that goes.  Everyone pooh-poohs your idea as some hair-brained scheme...until it goes right.  Then, everyone swoops in to take credit for the success.  The last mission I went on as part of Sitwell's team, it was my idea to tail the guy and pick his pocket for his phone, which he had been using as data storage and only source of encrypted communications.  Without it, even Stark's techno-nerds were having a tough time cracking his system.  When Richards got caught with his hand in the guy's jacket, I had to distract him somehow.  The only reason I got thrown under the bus is because the brawl end up on ESPN as a highlight on SportsCenter."

Shrugging as he finished his own glass of wine Loki said, "Personally, I think you handled that very well.  Why weren't you the one to pick the man's pocket?  It was your idea."

With a dry laugh, Tori answered, "Because Richards wanted to be the one to pull it off.  Never mind that I'm the better pickpocket."

"And how would you know that?"  Loki's gaze intensified, making Tori squirm and push the food around on her plate.  "Vittoria Scarpetti, is there something that you're not telling me?"  Loki's gasp of faked astonishment made Tori look up.  "Oh!  Don't tell me that you have actually picked a man's pocket!"

"It's not exactly a resume enhancement around here," Tori said sheepishly.  

"More than once?"

"..." Tori replied.

"I now have an entirely different image of you.  So," Loki grinned mischievously, "just how good are you?"

Without making eye contact she said, "On a dare, I may or may not have taken the keys to Lola and gone for a joyride when I first joined SHIELD."

Her answer genuinely stunned Loki, who was now coughing from laughing and drinking at the same time.  "And you are still alive?  You must have friends in high places!"

"No.  In fact, Fury was going to rake me over the coals for it.  Coulson, of all people, said that I demonstrated a 'useful skill set.'  I was spared, but I ended up having to wash and detail Lola every day for next three months."

The God of Mischief now seemed to be evaluating Tori; as if this revelation just caused her stock to rise in his estimate.  If it meant that she had someone backing her up, she was all for it.  Loki went to clear the table, but Tori quickly stood from her seat.  "No, I've got this.  You cooked, so I can handle dishes.  Go wash up, and I'll queue up something on Netflix.  What do you want to watch?  Something silly or something dramatic?"

"I think that we've had enough drama for one day.  Who is this Mel Brooks that you keep blathering about?  He sounds perfectly ridiculous."

"What!?!  You've been here how long and have never watch a Mel Brooks movie?  That's it!  I know what we're watching!"  Tori went to her DVD collection and pulled out  _Blazing Saddles._ She had just finished putting away dishes when Loki came out wearing his pajamas.  God, how she hated (loved) those things!  Naturally, they sat right on his hips and showed off just how cut he was.  The women all drooled over Thor, but that's because they didn't get to see Loki like this.  She swore that man could wear a paper bag and look like a million bucks.  Tori really had to keep herself busy to keep from staring so obviously.  That involved pulling out a container of dark chocolate chip cookies that she had baked and settling in to watch the movie.

"I don't know how much pop culture you've absorbed, but I think you'll find it funny."

Loki offered dry chuckles at most of the movie, although he did find Mongo unusually hilarious.  "Does he remind you of someone?" Tori asked with a grin.

"He does, but Mongo might be smarter than Thor."

"That's harsh!  I thought I was mean to my brothers and sister."

"Ask Thor about the last time that we went hunting for bildgesnipe.  The big oaf will turn as red as his cape.  These cookies are excellent, by the way.  Another of Nonna's creations?"

"I made them, so thank you."

"In that case, I'm going to finish this container.  You can make more tomorrow."

"Oh?  For all you know, they might be firing my ass tomorrow.  Then what are you going to do?"

"I will just have to follow you so I can keep eating the only decent food I have had here," Loki said as he pilfered the last of the cookies.

Tori threw her head back and laughed.  "I have never heard of someone being stalked for their cooking.  Seriously though, we are less than a week away from moving to the Tower.  Having our own places and all that.  I'm sure you're excited to have you own place."

"Does my presence hinder your social agenda, Vittoria?" Loki asked in an irritated tone.

"I could ask you the same thing."  Loki huffed at this, but Tori continued, "If I had a boyfriend, you'd know it.  I'd be staying at _his_ place, though."

Loki looked at her skeptically, "Like Tim?  The pretty one from London?"

"You mean Tom?  I just met him!  Funny you should ask, though.  He texted me to say he'll in New York in a few weeks and would like to meet up with me."

Loki harrumphed, "He certainly doesn't waste any time."

"Why?  Because he texted me the same day he met me?"

"He seems overly eager.  What was he doing going into a Hydra installation?"

Tori giggled.  "The front was an art studio!  Remember I said that I threw that bomb into something highly flammable?  It was a pile of rags soaked with paint thinner!"

"Was he there for the art?  Or the weapons of mass destruction?  I'd tread lightly if I was you."

Tori couldn't put her finger on it, but it sounded like Loki was jealous.  Jealous of a guy that she had only just met!  Why would he be jealous?  She gave him a sly look, "I'll remember this conversation when you bring home a woman for the rest of this big, dysfunctional family to meet.  Don't get all defensive when I start peppering you with questions and sowing the seeds of discord before you've even gone on a date."

Loki just snorted derisively.  The movie was long since over, so Tori got up from the couch with a stretch and a yawn.  "Well, I'm exhausted.  Good night, Loki.  Thank you for dinner, and..." Tori's pause made him look at her curiously, "for having my back today.  See you in the morning."

Tori turned to give him a sleepy smile as she closed her door.  Otherwise, she wouldn't have heard him say in a stunned, quiet voice, "You're welcome.  Good night, Vittoria."


	9. Jealousy, Thy Name Is Loki

Tori was thoroughly debriefed by Coulson and Hill.  They were both perturbed by the revelation that the recon team had been made, which led to Hydra's people removing files and equipment from the location before Tori's improvised distraction.  As it turned out, she had inadvertently prevented Hydra from completing its evacuation.  That was the reason that Tori did not get fired.  This didn't prevent Sitwell and his team, who were still stained a lovely shade of indigo, from being insufferable pricks for the rest of the week.  Anytime that she was within earshot, they made sure to bring up something about highly flammable materials or about how some people just don't know the meaning of reconnaissance.  The one time they made comments with Loki around, Sitwell began to immediately regret it.

"Considering that the target was significantly weakened by the time that you arrive, Agent Sitwell, I'm surprised that you would be bragging about a 'job well done.'  Although, some people are simply shameless when it comes to accepting praise.  It must be nice to have others do your dirty work for you," Loki goaded.  He began to smirk as the people who overheard his reply began to watch their exchange with interest.

Sitwell sneered at Loki, "Well, well, Laufeyson.  If I didn't know any better, I would think that you're getting sweet on your partner to stand up for her that way."

Loki bristled at being called by his birth name.  "Agent Scarpetti made the best decision available to her at the time.  I would defy any of you to have made a different choice.  One could ask how it was that our recon team was discovered before we even arrived at the location."

"Are you implying that we have a mole, Laufeyson?"

"I imply nothing, Agent Sitwell.  I am stating it as fact," Loki replied with a sarcastic smirk.  "It would be quite easy for someone with an axe to grind against Agent Scarpetti, or myself, to have leaked information about our whereabouts prior to the mission.  I only wonder who would do such a thing?"  Loki said this last with a meaningful glance at each of Sitwell's subordinates.

Jasper Sitwell's coloring quickly past through the spectrum of reds straight to purple as he blustered and blundered for a response to Loki's barely veiled accusation.  By then, the seed had already been planted in the collective minds of the onlookers who all began to murmur.  Loki smirked with satisfaction that his work had been done.  "My apologies, Agent Sitwell.  I did not mean to imply that you or your team were directly involved with such an oversight," he lied with a smile.  Loki spun on his heel to walk away, and grabbed Tori by the elbow to lead her off.

Tori was still aghast at what she had just witnessed.  "Do you know the shit storm that you just caused?"

"Of course I do, Vittoria.  I am the God of Chaos.  I have image to uphold."

She looked at him incredulously.  "Do you realize that when you cause trouble, I end up getting a bunch of flack for it?  I would like to have a drama, and reprimand, free weekend since I already have plans."

"Oh, that's right.  We are moving into the city."

She shot him a look.  "Yes, we are.  I also have plans next week that don't include me pulling extra shifts or having to handle additional chores."

* * *

Tori had to pack the last of her things to get ready to move.  She didn't have much, but it looked like a lot in her tiny quarters at SHIELD headquarters.  Now, she and Loki were moving into the city.  As she was packing, Tori kept taking breaks to answer text messages from Tom.  They were trying to decide where to go on their date when he got into town.  Also, logistics would be a tricky thing.  It wasn't exactly like Tom would be allowed to come up to her apartment to pick her up.  She agreed to meet him in the lobby at Stark Tower on Tuesday.  From there they would go get drinks and dinner.

"Who are you conversing with?  That thing has been buzzing incessantly!"  Loki was clearly annoyed that Tori's mind was elsewhere.

She replied cheerfully, "Tom from London.  We are going out on Tuesday night."

Loki made a sound of disgust.  Any time Tori mentioned Tom, Loki made his displeasure known.  Now that they had an actual date planned, Loki ratcheted up the ire.  "I still think that it's a bad idea for you to agree to meet a complete stranger for an evening out."

Tori laughed him off.  "You sound like an overprotective father.  What are you going to do?  Greet him at the door with a loaded shotgun when he comes to pick me up?"

"That's not a bad idea.  Although, I don't need a firearm to inflict damage," Loki said with a fiendish grin.

"Oh.  My.  God!  I'm totally being sarcastic!  Don't you dare sabotage this for me.  I haven't been on an actual date since I joined SHIELD."

Loki stopped loading a box with books and stared at her.  "You mean to say that you have been romantically unattached this entire time?"

"Yeah.  Who am I going to date?  I don't date co-workers, as a rule.  I know a lot of women around here have bed buddies, but I'm just not that kind of girl."  Loki just continued staring at her; Tori tried lighten up the mood by changing subjects.

"So, how did you decide to decorate your quarters?"  Tori had spent quite a bit of time pouring over fabric swatches, paint samples, and stained wood chips to come up with the look of her first real apartment since she had left her private sector job to work for SHIELD.  Loki was a part of that, offering his unsolicited opinion on her design aesthetic.  He had trouble wrapping his mind around the concept of "shabby chic" and for the life of him did not understand why Tori would want to purposefully scuff or distress the finish on the cabinets and floors to make them appeared weathered.

Loki's expression was unreadable.  At length, he replied, "I still have yet to select furniture."

"Oh.  Well, if you want help with that, let me know," Tori offered.  "There are a few pieces that I want to get, too." 

Now that they were moving, Tori started to realize that she was going to miss the company.  She resolved to make sure that she and Loki kept up their movie nights.  Maybe she could get him hooked on a few series so they could binge watch on the weekends when the weather was crappy.  Of course, the best thing about moving to the Tower would be the library.  From what Tori had heard, it wasn't used very often but was full to the ceiling with every book she could ever want to read.

"Let's get out of here.  The movers can take it from here," Tori said as she sealed up the the last box.

"Gladly.  Where are we going?"

"Have you been introduced to Chinese food?  No?  Well, consider this your lucky day!"

* * *

Loki and Tori showed up to the Tower, each carrying a bag of Chinese food and laughing.

"You scared the shit out of that guy!" Tori laughed as she called for the elevator.

Loki was still chuckling, "I thought that I was doing the man a favor.  He was about to drop every bag he was carrying.  I didn't realize that holding the door for him would actually cause him to drop all of his bags."

Tori gave him the side-eye as the elevator doors slid shut.  "Loki, you used your magic to hold the door AND grab two of the bags he was about to drop.  You have to warn people before you do things like that."

"Still, the man did an excellent impersonation of a goldfish, did he not?"  Loki's question sent Tori into another fit of giggling.

Catching her breath she replied, "Yeah.  A goldfish out of water!"  The elevator announced their arrival on the floor of their new apartments.  Tori fished the key card out of her pocket for her place, pushing the door open with her backside as she backed through the door with her arms full.  She tossed the keys and her purse down on the entryway table as the lights came up.  The living area of the apartment was outfitted with motion and photo sensors so that the lights would come on and adjust on their own.  A large basket on the island between the kitchen and living room caught Tori's eye.  She walked over to it, Loki following her into the kitchen with the rest of the food.

Inside the basket was two very nice bottles of wine, a bottle opener, and two wine glasses.  The basket also held a brand new linen tablecloth in soft tan and red stripes, coordinating napkins and placemats, and potholders.  The card in the basket read, " _Welcome home, Tori!  I thought that you could use some things for your new kitchen.  Enjoy the wine.  Call if you need anything, neighbor! Pepper._ "

Tori had only met Pepper Potts a few times before, but always enjoyed visiting with Stark much better half.  Pepper had been so helpful in getting Tori set up with contractors to do the remodel on her apartment and was constantly checking in on her to make sure that she had everything she needed.  "Oh, how sweet!" Tori exclaimed.  "All I did was point these out in a catalog when I had lunch with Pepper last week.  I didn't think that she'd get them for me."

"Ms. Potts is very thoughtful," said Loki.  "It's too bad she hasn't rubbed off on Stark."

Tori raised an eyebrow, "Can you imagine Tony without Pepper's influence?"  In truth, Tori didn't have a beef with Tony.  However, there were times when he got to be a bit much.  Loki seemed to agree, as he chuckled and shook his head at the thought of Tony Stark as a single man on the prowl.

They unpacked the various containers of food they had picked up.  There was a bit of everything and enough for there to be leftovers tomorrow...maybe.  Since having Loki as a couch crasher, Tori had noticed food didn't last as long.  In fact, she was already fresh out of lasagna and most of the genetti.  She'd have to either make some on her own, or take a trip to see Nonna again.  With some of the upcoming events back home, she thought that it might not be a bad idea to make a trip.

An hour after they had gotten to Tori's place and settled in with dinner, Loki and Tori (mostly Loki) had managed to finish off the egg rolls, crab rangoon, and chicken egg fu yung.  They had just finished watching the last part of the Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle version of  _Pride and Prejudice_  and were arguing over the merits of the story.

"I think that Mr. Darcy should have written off Elizabeth Bennett after the first rejection," Loki opined.

Tori scoffed, "Wow!  You're an unforgiving one!  Then where would the story have gone?  Mr. Darcy marrying Miss Bingley?  She's a conniving bitch, pretending to be Jane's friend!  Or worse, having to marry his sickly, pinched-face cousin.  Then Bennett girls would have ended up as spinsters.  It's a good thing that you didn't write that novel."

Loki gave Tori look as he asked, "Why would a man put himself through the humiliation of being rejected a second time?"

"Pfft, clearly he wasn't rejected a second time.  Did you not see the wedding that just happened at the end?"

"Elizabeth only changed her opinion of the man once she saw the great estate that was his home and after learning of the aid he offered to her family."

"Which he sought to conceal.  Lydia spilled the beans, remember?  As for his estate, it let her see him differently.  Not because of its grandeur, but because he was actually revealed to be a warm, caring person there.  When she had met him at before, he behaved like a pompous ass!"

"When a man does not slobber over a woman in whom he's interested, it does not make him pompous.  Men who are overly eager should rouse a woman's suspicion," Loki said with a hint of defensiveness.

"Are you seriously trying to make Tom out to be a Wickham?" Tori asked with a smirk.

Loki replied with a smirk of his own, "I wasn't the one who raised the question so it must be on your mind, Vittoria."

"Only because you have not so subtly been trying to bust it up before it's happened!"

After a pause, he asked, "Why are you so eager to get into some sort or relationship with this man anyway?"

Tori looked at Loki, trying to decide if he was asking to be a smart ass or if he was genuinely curious.  She decided to treat the question as genuine.  "Because you don't know until you try. Sure, he lives across the Atlantic.  I don't know a lot about him, but from what I do know, he seems like a nice guy.  Maybe we will just be friends, maybe we will be more.  It has to start somewhere.  Besides, doesn't every one want somebody?"

Loki, for the first time ever, seem a bit uncomfortable with the turn that the conversation had taken.  He quickly hid his discomfort behind a wall of smug and sarcasm.  "Not all of us, Vittoria."

"If you're referring to yourself, that actually makes me sad, Loki.  Everyone, even you, deserves to have somebody.  You just have to be willing to let them get close enough to you."  Tori began to have second thoughts about what she had just said.  She had heard that Loki was not a "let's talk about feelings" kind of guy, and she suspected she had just crossed the line.  In fact, the first and only time that he had spoken to a counselor on SHIELD's payroll, the guy ended up quitting!  The counselor would not say what Loki did to him, but the guy was a little fidgety as he left the building.

Rather than the epic meltdown that Tori suspected would come, Loki simply shrugged and stood from the couch to start taking dishes to the sink.  "Why should one bother to want something unattainable?"

"Ha!  Says the man hell-bent on conquering the Earth.  You have funny ideas about what's attainable, Mischief."  Inwardly, Tori breathed a sigh of relief.  She would've had a hell of a time explaining to Tony and Pepper why she needed to redecorate her newly decorated apartment if Loki had a meltdown.

* * *

The rest of the weekend was a blur.  Tori unpacked all of her stuff into her new apartment; books, pictures, curios of all sorts made the place feel a lot more like home than her SHIELD quarters had been.  She was even able to take Loki furniture shopping, which was an adventure.  Who knew the God of Mischief was such a diva?  Not that Tori wasn't impressed with his choices.  He had a strong sense of what he wanted and a knack for finding just the right thing.  It was still an exhaustive process.

Tori dramatically collapsed on the sofa that Loki finally selected.  It was a large, black leather, mid-century looking piece with a rectangular frame but large, comfy cushions.  She noted that the couch was long enough for her to stretch her arms overhead and extend her legs without touching the ends.  She opened her eyes to an amused Loki looking down at her.  "Don't be so dramatic, Vittoria.  It has only been a day of shopping.  You have been through worse ordeals."

"Yes.  A day of shopping with you, Your Highness," Tori said mockingly.  "I was beginning to wonder if we were going to have to special order some Asgardian furniture for you, since we mortals didn't seem to be any good at meeting your expectations."

Loki's brow furrowed.  "I never even thought to ask if that was possible.  Damn it, Vittoria!  Why didn't you think of that sooner?"

Tori was now horrified that she may have inadvertently given herself more work.  She was starting to envision having to coordinate the return of ALL the furniture that they had just purchased, when a devilish grin crept across Loki's face.  He read her expression and knew just what she was thinking.  "Have no fear, Vittoria.  I am now satisfied with the choices that I have made.  Let's go get something to eat.  Who knew that shopping could make one so hungry?"

" _Sarcastic SOB_ ," Tori thought to herself as she swung her feet to the floor and stood.

Tori and Loki got back to the Tower just as Loki's purchases was being delivered.  Even though it was the weekend, a fair number of SHIELD personnel were in the main lobby.  Tony appeared from out of nowhere, eyeing every stick of furniture as it was carried to the service elevators.  "How many apartments are you guys furnishing?" Tony asked sardonically.

"Loki has his own place.  Why should he live in an empty apartment?  All things considered I think we did really well," said Tori.

Loki replied, "It's not as if I had furniture to bring here from Asgard, Stark.  I doubt very much that the All-Father would have permitted me to bring anything with me."

Tony harrumphed as he saw the couch and a pair of green club chairs being carried in.  "If it makes you feel better, Tony, it's on SHIELD's credit card," Tori said with a sly wink in Loki direction.  Stark just shook his head and walked away, leaving Loki and Tori to their own devices for the remainder of the day.

After a few minor adjustments, Loki's furniture was all arranged.  "Great!  Now you can host movie night, too!" exclaimed Tori as she plopped down in one of the overstuffed green chairs.  Loki sat down on the sofa and looked around.  The look on his face told Tori that he still didn't know what to make of his living arrangements.  "Listen, you can always come over and hang out with me.  You know that, right?"

Loki looked at her with confusion.  "I'm serious," she continued, "I don't want you to think because we each have our own space that we can't spend time together.  It just means that you're not camping out on my couch anymore.  Or trying to steal my bed."

"I wasn't trying to _steal_ your bed, Vittoria.  I would have shared," he replied with feigned innocence.

Tori struggled to maintain her composure.  The most difficult thing about Loki as a roommate had been his apparent lack of modesty...or fondness for showing off his godly figure.  Even if she lived to be a hundred, Tori would still fantasize about him sprawled out in just his pajama bottoms...and that brief glimpse of his ass when he got out of the shower.  "Uh-huh.  Sure you would have.  I don't think you'd be fond of sharing sleeping accommodations.  You seem like a hog-the-covers kind of guy."

With a suggestive tone, Loki replied, "Vittoria.  Who said anything about needing covers?  I could think of other ways to keep warm."

Tori knew that the blush had crept up her face like a cartoon thermometer.  She was still trying to play it cool and failing miserably.  "I did not realize that you were so demure, Vittoria.  You were so brazenly staring at me when we first met, I would have never guessed that you were such a lamb."

She shot him a look, "What does that make you?  A wolf?"

He chuckled darkly, as he rose from his seat and stood in front of her.  He leaned over to rest his hands on the back of the chair, behind her head.  "You don't know how right you are, Vittoria."

There was that unreadable expression again.  His brilliant green eyes seemed to glow as he arrested her gaze.  Tori could scarcely blink; she could not tell how long they remained that way.  Him looking down at her.  Her clutching the armrests of the chair and leaning against the back to peer up at him.  She knew that Loki wasn't able to use his magic unless he was helping others or defending himself, but she still felt spellbound at his proximity and the look in his eyes.  It was almost as if...no.  It was impossible.  She had heard his opinions on humans before, and SHIELD agents in particular.  He was friendly enough with her, but not _that_ friendly.  Tori finally found her voice and stammered out, "I...I think that I had better go.  I have some things to take care of before tomorrow morning.  Meet for dinner?"

Loki hovered over her for a moment longer, then backed away.  As he straightened up, he spoke.  "Unfortunately, I do not think that I will join you for dinner this evening, Vittoria.  My brother has asked that I join him and his merry band of idiots.  I will see you tomorrow morning, yes?"

Tori seemed a bit puzzled by this.  Loki hardly, if ever, mentioned Thor's invitations to go do things.  Still, she wasn't going to question it.  She was relieved that whatever weird tension had developed in the room a few minutes ago had melted away.  Still, she was a little disappointed.  Wait.  Why would she be disappointed?  What had she been hoping for, exactly?  Tori didn't want to stand there and ponder it.  She could do that in the privacy of her own place.  She said her goodbyes and beat a hasty retreat.  As the door shut behind her, Loki dropped to the seat she had just vacated.  Resting his elbows on his knees, he put his head in his hands.  A few moments later, he rub his hands down his face until he could rest his chin on his fists as he stared at the door.

* * *

Tuesday arrived, and Loki had been in a peevish mood the morning before.  Tori was doing her best to cope with it, but everything she did seemed to piss him off.  He even complained about her breathing.  Breathing!  "Must you be so audible, Vittoria?  If I were blindfolded I would only have to follow the sound of you breathing to find you."

"Hm.  That sounds kinky.  I thought you Asgardians were a rather staid bunch," Tori snapped back.  They were waiting for a meeting to start in the control room with Steve, Bucky, and Tony.  Tony almost choked on his water, while Bucky just gave her a funny little smile.  Steve, however, turned bright red and scolded her for such an innuendo.  Of course, Tori knew Loki's issue: tonight was her date with Tom and Loki was pissed that he would be at home by himself.  Well, not exactly by himself.  He would be spending the evening with Thor and the rest of the Avengers.  " _Tough shit_ ," she thought.  " _I'm his handler, and I'm allowed to have a goddamned social life!_ "

The meeting blessedly came to an end without incident.  Tori quickly gathered her things and hustled out the door.  She was halfway down the hall when she heard Tony shout, "Hey, Scarpetti!  Come on up to the penthouse when you're done getting ready for your date.  Have a drink with us!"

"Sure thing, Tony!" she shouted over her shoulder as she kept on walking.

An hour later, the elevator opened and Tori stepped out into the penthouse.  She was wearing a wine-colored wrap dress with three-quarter sleeves.  She had matching suede pumps and wore black thigh-high stockings with a seams up the back.  Her hair, which she normally wore up or in a braid, was down and done in large curls.  It had been a while since Tori needed to dress up, so she took extra care with her makeup, going with browns and bronzes to accentuate her eyes.  Tori didn't know why, but she carried the "Loki finder" (her nickname for the bracelet) in her purse.  When she arrived, the Avengers were already there.  So was Loki.  Tony waved her over from behind the bar, "Hey, hot stuff!  Get over here, and let's have a look at you!"

Steve let out a low whistle.  "Scarpetti, who's the lucky guy?"

Tori beamed back at him.  "Remember Tom?  The guy that almost got blown up in London?"

"You mean the guy you were chatting up outside the store front?"

"That's him.  He asked for my number after the clean up and containment crew arrived."

Steve laughed and shook his head.  "Well, there are stranger of ways of meeting people.  Do we get to meet him?"

Laughing, Tori replied, "Not unless you want to come down to the lobby.  He's meeting me there in fifteen minutes."

Thor's brow was furrowed with concern.  "Is it customary for ladies to be in the company of strange men without a chaperone?  I am concerned for your safety, Agent Scarpetti."

"Oh, no.  Not you too, Thor?  Your brother has not left me alone on the subject since I told him that I was planning to go out with Tom.  Besides," Tori said with a smirk, "you and Jane had only known each other for what?  A few days?  On top of that, she hit you with her truck when you met."

Loki's head snapped up out of the book he was reading.  "What's that you say, Vittoria?"  He could barely contain his glee.

Tori, not realizing that she was letting some giant cat out of the bag, answered him.  "Oh, yeah.  Jane hit him with her truck.  Not once, but twice.  Somewhere in between, Darcy tasered him."

Thor was flush with embarrassment while Loki began to laugh uncontrollably.  Gasping for air he said, "Oh, Thor!  That is a far, FAR, cry from what you told your parents.  I like this version better.  Remind me to congratulate both Dr. Foster and Miss Lewis when I see them next."  Loki's expression lost its mirth as he turned to face Tori.  "I see your point, though I can hardly say that I consider it a wise decision, Vittoria."

"Well, that's the dating scene, Loki.  Sometimes you have to do stupid things in the name getting out there and meeting new people."  Tori finished her drink and check the time.  "Tony, thanks for the drink.  If you will all excuse me, I have a date to meet downstairs."


	10. A Date with Disaster

With Tori's departure, Loki went back to reading and sulking.  Of course, he could feel that he was being watched by Thor.  The blond idiot had nothing between his ears and no filter between what passed for a brain and his mouth; he was certain that Thor's companions now knew of the affinity he had developed for the comely young agent in whose care he had been placed.  How Thor had even picked up on it was beyond him, unless...ah.  That's it.  He wasn't perceptive, but he was able to go to Asgard at will.  All Thor had to do was talk to Heimdall.  While Loki was able to use some of his magic, one of the things that the cuffs and torc prevented was his ability to shield himself from the Gatekeeper's sight.  Loki loathed having his thoughts and actions laid bare for that golden-eyed snoop.

" _When next you see the big oaf, Heimdall, tell him to mind his own damn business_ ," Loki thought with more than a touch of anger.  He knew that Heimdall would be able to hear him clearly, aloud or in silence.  Whether the Gatekeeper of Asgard would deliver this message, remained to be seen.  For now, Loki returned to his reading.  Tried to read.  He couldn't seem to move past the page he had been on since Vittoria left for her date.  The fact that it was a book that she had recommended did not help Loki's situation.  Instead, his mind kept wandering back to her.

Loki had trouble admitting to himself that the woman occupied his thoughts when she wasn't around.  It had only been a few days and living in separate quarters from her did not improve the situation.  Certainly not when he had gotten so used to here milling about the place.  Loki even missed the sound of her snoring softly in the next room as he lay on the couch.  He didn't miss that couch at all; he would have much rather been laying next to her.  When he all but confessed it to her the other night, she either didn't believe him or was repulsed by the idea.  Loki could practically smell the woman's nervousness and fear at what he told her.  " _Of course she was scared.  Now, she is off with some nice, non-threatening mortal,_ " Loki thought bitterly.

Although, Loki was not yet convinced that this mortal was as non-threatening as Vittoria believed.

* * *

Tom was already in the lobby on the ground floor when Tori got there.  Upon seeing her, he flashed a toothy grin.  "Tori, you look amazing," he said as he offered her his arm.  He was dressed in an impeccably tailored suit, the color of which brought out the bright blue of his eyes.  Blushing slightly at Tom's compliment, Tori hooked her arm in his and allowed him to usher her out the door to a waiting town car.

"This is really nice," Tori said as she slid across the seat.  "I hope that you didn't do this just for me."

"And why not?  A lovely woman such as yourself deserves to be spoiled," said Tom.  The grin had not left his face since he saw her.  He was handsome, in an earnestly boyish, way.  His eyes had not left Tori the entire time; she couldn't shake the feeling that something was a bit off.  She shoved the feeling aside, chalking it up to nerves at not being on a real date in the last three years.  "So, where are we going?" she asked.

Tom's grin widened.  "It's a surprise, Tori, but it's one that I think you will enjoy."  The rest of the ride was full of small talk, Tori asked Tom about his trip over and what he had been up to in the last week.  Tom asked Tori about things at work and moving into her new place.  After a relatively short trip, the car pulled up to the curb in front of Gallagher's Steakhouse.

"I think that you've been spying on me," Tori teased.  "This is one of my favorite restaurants in the city."  Her teasing remark caused a slight change in color; not a blush, but rather a loss of color.  Tom didn't have to do much to recover since the smile had not left his face.  The change had been so subtle that Tori had almost missed it.  It did nothing to help alleviate her worries.    She had brought her backup pistol (in a thigh holster) and an extra clip (in her clutch), but that was it.  " _Wait.  No it's not_ ," she thought as she remembered that she had brought Odin's gift with her.  Before she exited the vehicle, Tori slipped the cuff on her wrist.  Tom, who had was now standing on the curb, extended his hand to her and noticed the bracelet.  "That is a lovely piece.  I didn't realize that you were wearing it."

"Oh, I forgot that I had it in my purse."  The pair entered the restaurant, and Tori was now scanning the room, on alert.

Tom patted Tori's hand, "You seem a bit nervous, Tori."

She smiled up at him, "Sorry.  It's been a while since I have been on an actual date."

"What about that man you were with in London?"

"Him?  He's colleague, not a love interest.  No, I'm very single."  Tori winced at her own awkwardness.  Tom, however, either ignored it or hadn't noticed.

"So," Tom said as the waiter delivered a Stag's Leap Cabernet to the table, "you work for SHIELD, but you can't tell me what you do.  What can you tell me about your job?"

She was surprised at the brusque nature of his question, but Tori had no trouble answering.  "Not much, I'm afraid.  I work in global security and technology.  I used to work for an engineering firm.  Before that, I was in the Navy."

"Interesting.  Do you enjoy your work?"

"It's like most jobs," Tori shrugged.  "There are things I love and things I hate about it.  One thing I will say for the job: there's never a dull moment."

The young man chuckled at this, then changed the subject to talk about places that they've traveled, books, movies, and other appropriate first date topics.  Throughout the meal, Tori got the sense that this man was fishing for something...or else just waiting to move on to the next thing.  Once dinner was done and the check had been paid, Tori and Tom stood outside to wait for their car.  As the car pulled up, Tom grabbed Tori and stuck a needle into the back of her neck.  As Tori's vision went black, she heard Tom tell his driver, "We need to get moving before she is missed.  Washington, DC is quite a drive from here."

* * *

It was well after midnight, and there was still no sign of Tori.  Everyone had retired for the evening, except Loki and Thor.  Abandoning his attempts at reading, Loki now paced anxiously.  He growled under his breath, "That infernal woman!  What is taking her so long.  Hasn't she the decency to call?"

"Calm yourself, Loki.  I'm sure that Agent Scarpetti is fine."

Loki whirled on Thor and snarled, "Since when is it acceptable for a woman to carouse the streets of the city after midnight?  Especially when she has obligations elsewhere!"

Raising his eyebrows in surprise at his brother's vehemence, Thor replied, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you are jealous."

"I am angry at her inconsideration.  You know, some of us have better ways of spending an evening than waiting for wayward young women to return home from an evening of revelry."

"Then what is stopping you?" Thor asked as his eyes danced with amusement.  "Agent Scarpetti is not your charge."

"Hmph," Loki said as he threw himself down into the armchair he had occupied most of the evening.  He was just about to reply that he would do just that by returning to his own quarters, when he suddenly felt the pull of being summoned by her bracelet.  Unlike the last time she had used it, he could also feel her emotions; the taste of her fear coated his tongue and almost made Loki ill.  He only knew that she was somewhere to the south, far out of the city.  The God of Mischief suddenly rose to his feet; his body was acting on its own.

"Brother, what is wrong?"

Without turning to face Thor he said, "Vittoria is in trouble.  She is summoning me."

Mjolnir in hand, Thor replied, "Loki!  Tell me where?"  Loki could not even answer before he began to shimmer green and gold.  In the blink of an eye, Loki had vanished from the living room of Stark's penthouse.

Thor, once over the shock of his brother's forced teleportation, roared, "TONY!!!  We need to find Agent Scarpetti.  NOW!"

* * *

When Tori came back to consciousness, she was in the back of the town car seated between Tom and a man with bright white hair.  It was the man from the Hydra installation in London, the one that had been ferrying technology out of the building right before they started evacuating.  "Ah! I am glad to see that you are awake, Ms. Scarpetti.  I am Dr. Childress.  We are just outside of Baltimore and require your assistance to access SHIELD's facility."

Still groggy from the sedative, Tori's vision became clearer as she began to assess her situation.  They were clearly not in New York; they passed a mileage sign on the interstate that indicated Baltimore was 20 miles away.  That meant that they were about twenty minutes away from the SHIELD facility.  She had twenty minutes to get info from these guys and get away.  Tori turned to Tom, who was looking at her smugly.  "You know, Tom?  I really should have known that you were too good to be true."

"Oh, I plan to still have fun with you Tori, after our business is finished with your employer," his smirk had now twisted into an demented grin.

She ran her hand down the front of her skirt as if to straighten it.  Tori was really looking to see if they had searched her and found her pistol.  Sure enough, Tom's right hand produced her pistol from the compartment in the door.  "Looking for this, Tori?  The thigh holster is a nice touch," he said as he licked his lips.

Tori fumed.  "Consider that the farthest that you'll get with me, asshole.  You're going to regret having done even that!"  Without another word, Tori elbowed Tom in the face.  His nose made a satisfying crack as her elbow connected.  Meanwhile, Dr. Childress produced a small pistol from his vest pocket, cocked it, and pressed the muzzle to her temple.  Tom continued to fuss over his broken nose, as blood gushed from his nostrils and down his shirt front.

"We will have none of that, Agent Scarpetti.  As you as you help us gain access to the SHIELD facility, we will release you," Childress' oily voice made Tori cringe.  The words were promising but his delivery was the exact opposite.  The driver had exited the highway and was now on a two-lane road that cut through a wooded area in the country.  They were now ten minutes out from the facility.  Tori had to up her game.

"You are really barking up the wrong tree," she said.  "I'm just a field agent; I don't have clearance to access anything but the main lobby in Washington."

"Don't be so coy, Agent Scarpetti," the white haired man said.  "We know that you have been recently promoted."

Of course!  These idiots just gave Tori her way out.  She began to think of Loki and getting him to come to her.  As she thought of him, she replied to her captors, "Yeah?  Well, do you know why I was promoted?"

The men exchanged a look.  "It doesn't matter, Tori.  You are simply stalling," sneered Tom as he grabbed a fistful of her hair and brandished a knife.  No sooner had the words left his lips, than the driver locked up his brakes.  The headlights shown upon the figure of a tall man, clad in black and green.  The man stood his ground in the face of the oncoming vehicle, which came to a stop merely a foot away from him.  He was clearly pissed.  The three men in the car all looked like they had just lost control of their bowels.  Tori, on the other hand, just smirked as she said, "That is the reason I was promoted, bitches."

All four car doors were ripped open simultaneously.   Duplicates of Loki reached in and tore the men out of the ruined vehicle.  The real Loki, Tori assumed the one that was standing in the road was the real one, came around the passenger side and peered in to the vehicle.  "Are you hurt?" he asked briskly.

Tori shook her head.  "I'm still a little groggy from whatever they doped me with, but I'm fine otherwise."  She scooted along the seat of the car, toward the door.  Loki grabbed her elbow and helped her out, the driver and two Hydra agents looking on in stunned silence as they were held captive by Loki's duplicates, who were all grinning like Cheshire cats.  Tori took in the scene around them and said, "That must come in handy, Mischief.  I wish I could duplicate myself to take care of my housework."

Loki smirked, "I prefer to use this particular talent in other ways, Vittoria."  His expression turned serious as he said, "Did I not tell you this man could not be trusted?"

"Really?  You have to say 'I told you so' right now?  Could you at least save it for when we get home?  At least not in front of these jagoffs."

Loki turned to face Tom, who still had the knife in his hands.  His wrist was being held by Loki's duplicate; Loki walked up to him and plucked the knife from Tom's hand.  Running his thumb along the edge of the blade, Loki asked the man without looking at him, "Did you think that Agent Scarpetti was an easy mark?  You see, I could smell the deceit coming off of you, even as you were speaking on the phone with her.  One of the perks of being the God of Lies, I suppose."

Tom struggled against the hold of Loki's duplicate, which Loki ignored as his continued to circle around the restrained man.  His voice was deceptively soft, as the look in his eyes was unadulterated murder.  "Of course, you're not really that young man that Vittoria met in London."

The man blinked in surprise.  "How- how did you know?"

Loki gave the man a feral grin and said, "The man that Agent Scarpetti inadvertently dragged into the fray in London was guileless.  You, on the other hand, are chocked-full of it.  Did you really think that she would not be missed?  You and your comrades should know that I do not like others touching my things."

Tori's mind as reeling.  " _This guy isn't Tom?  He looks exactly like him, though!  Oh my God...I had heard about masking technology, but I didn't realize that it was so advanced!_ "  In a shaky voice she interrupted them, "What happened to Tom?"

The man sneered at her, "He's dead, Tori.  We figured out who he was and learned that he was talking to you.  It didn't take much to pretend to be him.  After all, you hardly knew him."  The man turned his sneer on Loki as he replied, "Perhaps you should keep better track of your things.  It was so easy to get her to drop her guard.  Even easier still to get her out in the open.  I'm sure that it would have been just as easy to-" the Tom imposter didn't get to complete his thought, as Loki buried the knife up to the hilt in his throat.  As the man choked on his own blood, Tori was horrified to see that he morphed into a form that now had green skin, black hair, and black pupil-less eyes.

Loki spat out a curse in Old Norse, then whirled around to face Tori.  "He was a shapeshifter!"  Loki then strode toward Dr. Childress with a scowl.  "You!  What game are you playing at?"

Childress only offered an arrogant smirk in reply.  Loki looked as if he was going to rip the old man apart with his bare hands; however, he didn't get the chance.  A flash of lightning was followed by a clap of thunder overhead.  Soon, the God of Thunder landed in their midst.  Thor took in the scene with a casual eye, as if it was completely normal for there to be more than one Loki standing around and car doors ripped off of hinges.  Thor's eyes then fell on Tori, who was clearly disturbed and leaning against the back fender of the car for support.  "Agent Scarpetti, are you alright?"

Tori was still in shock.  She had gotten a guy killed...and all she did was talk to him and give him her number.  She knew that collateral damage was always a possibility, working for SHIELD.  However, she hadn't counted on the "collateral damage" hitting so close to home.  That she had been acquainted with faux Tom longer than she had with real Tom added further to the turmoil she felt.  How could she have been taken in so easily?  Her head continued to spin; the thought that she was to blame sickened her.  Thor mistook her behavior as shock at witnessing Loki stab the imposter and made a ham-handed attempt at comforting her.

"Please do not be disturbed by this, Agent Scarpetti.  Loki was only protecting you.  I'm sure that if he knew, Loki would have shielded you from any bloodshed."

Loki, meanwhile, had seized Dr. Childress by the neck and was now lifting him to his eye level.  The gargling that came with his attempts to breathe with a constricted windpipe drew Thor's attention away from the woman.  Clearing the distance in a few long steps, Thor put a restraining hand on Loki's forearm.  "Loki!  That's enough.  We need to keep him alive to question him."

"Of course, you fool!" Loki snarled. "Why do you suppose I had not kill him on the spot for his part in this!"

Thor's gaze hardened a bit at his brother's insult.  "Perhaps you should see to Agent Scarpetti.  She is not handling this so well."  The Asgardians turned to look at Tori, who was slumped forward with her hands on her knees, trying to breathe deeply and keep from blacking out.

Loki glared at Childress as he slowly set him on his feet and released his throat.  Without looking at Thor he said, "Take care of this one."  Loki went to Tori's side and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.  "Vittoria, I need you to calm yourself.  Surely this isn't the first time that you have seen violence."

His question helped bring her back from the brink of fainting.  "No, it is not," Tori replied sourly.  "The is the first time that I have directly caused an innocent person to lose his life."

"You mean that young man?  Vittoria, you cannot blame yourself.  Hydra would have most likely killed him, with or without your involvement.  You saved him from an explosion, remember?"

The tears that Tori had been too stunned to cry earlier, now fell freely.  "I should have left it at that," she sobbed.  "I shouldn't have kept in touch with him.  He asked for my number, and I should have said 'no.'  Instead, I let my guard down.  Now, he's dead just because he hit on the wrong girl!  Then, just to pour salt in the wound, I was probably talking to and flirting with a phony version of him for the last two weeks.  All this mess because I tried to live a normal life.  Who the hell am I kidding?"

"A normal life, Vittoria?  Surely you cannot expect to lead a 'normal' life with who you are and what you do."  He then added with a faint smirk, "Look at who you call your work colleagues, not to mention the rest of this circus."  As if to underscore Loki's point, Iron Man landed right between the car and Thor.

Tony flipped up his visor, "Hey, Boop!  Most guys just try to get fresh on a first date.  How did you get a kidnapper?  This guy looks old as fuck compared to the one you described!  You didn't have to open a can of Loki-sized whoop ass on him.  Tasering would've worked."

Tony then looked down at the green corpse with a knife in its throat.  "Who's this guy?"


	11. Caught in the Wake

The rest of the Avengers had arrived shortly after Tony.  Dr. Alistair Childress and the driver of the town car were now shackled and in the hold of the quinjet.  Tori silently boarded the jet and found her seat up near the cockpit.  Loki sat next to her; both were quiet for the short trip back to the Tower.  Once they were back everyone, aside from asking if Tori was okay, was mercifully occupied with getting Dr. Childress and the driver to the interrogation rooms.

Tori dragged her exhausted ass off the jet and had every intention of heading off to bed.  That was, of course, until she hear a familiar, velvety voice behind her.  "I'm glad that you remember the Odin's gift.  Otherwise, we could not have recovered you so quickly."

She turned to Loki, who appeared to be less interested in resuming his "I told you so" victory lap than in checking on her.  "So am I.  I'm sure that I could have raised the alarm once at the SHIELD facility, but I wanted to avoid a shootout there.  It's already going to be bad enough."

"In what way, Vittoria?"

"I went on a date that resulted in my getting kidnapped by Hydra.  It could've turned into a hostage situation and/or the loss of precious information or technology.  Sitwell and his goons are going to have a field day with that.  I wish I could just crawl under a rock and hide for the next week...month.  Hell, make it a year."

Loki shook his head.  "Do not worry about things that have not happened yet.  I am concerned, however, about Hydra forming an alliance a shapeshifter.  What other creatures could they possibly have on their side?"  Loki was staring off into the distance, seeming to contemplate the consequences of such a thing.  He noticed Tori watching him then, changing the subject, he said, "You look exhausted.  Perhaps you should call it a night."

"I think you're right, Loki.  If anyone's looking for me, I will be in my apartment."  Tori made her way to the elevator but was surprised to see Loki join her.  She looked at him and realized that he looked as haggard as she felt.  While he didn't act as if he was tired, Loki's skin was a shade paler and he had the beginnings of dark circles around his eyes.  "How about you?  Are you doing alright?"

He didn't bother hiding the wariness in his eyes as he responded.  "These," lifted his arms to show the cuffs, "prevent me from using certain spells and also limit my use of magic.  If I use it over a prolonged period, I tire more quickly."

"So, teleporting and duplicating yourself must have really taken it out of you.  I'm sorry," Tori replied.  As if she didn't feel bad enough already.

Loki shrugged.  "I had no choice when you summoned me.  As for duplicating myself, it was the quickest way to apprehend them without completely wrecking the car with you inside."

They arrived at their floor and exited the elevator.  Before going to their respective doors, Tori gave Loki a hug.  His body stiffened.  Loki kept his arms rigid at his sides, his fists clinched tightly.  "Thank you for looking out for me," Tori said with her voice muffled against his chest.  Sensing that her hug was making him awkward, Tori stepped back toward her apartment's door.  "See you tomorrow, Mischief," she said as she closed the door behind her.  Loki remained standing in the hall, staring at Tori's door.  After a beat, he shook his head as if to clear it and spun on his heel, opening the door to his own apartment. It closed behind him with a slam, the sound echoing down the hall.

* * *

As Tori predicted, word travelled fast about her dating disaster.  There were a lot of jokes told at her expense; most of them were good-natured and concluded with offers to set her up with nice friends or family members.  Jasper Sitwell, on the other hand, was all about humiliating Tori in front of large numbers of people.  Of course, Sitwell's junior agents took it as license to follow their superior's example and were nearly as relentless as he.  The jabs weren't just about the date-turned-kidnapping.  Their next mission also gave everyone plenty of ammo.

Tori had gone to Colombia with Loki and the Avengers.  She had somehow (accidentally) become drinking buddies with their target's son and daughter in a night club in Bogota.  Tori's Spanish wasn't all that great, but she was able to gather that they were siblings and well-connected in the black markets.  She did, however, appreciate the phrase, "Tres más, por favor!" when shouted at a bartender.  Alejandro, the brother, was flirty and a little handsy when they were dancing.  It didn't stop her from accepting an invitation to join him at a party the following night, so she could meet some of his "business associates."  Loki was dead-set against it.  Tori argued that it was a useful connection to make.  Natasha backed her up and went with her to what promised to be a raging house party.

How was Tori supposed to know that their host was their target, when the one photo they had of the guy was so old and grainy it could have been her own mustachioed father?  Or that the target would recognize the Black Widow?  After a lot of shooting and a lot of people thrown out of windows, Loki had to save Tori from dangling off the edge of the roof when she was making her escape and slipped on the terra cotta tile.  They both landed in the pool below when Loki had a grenade thrown at him.  They narrowly missed the concrete deck around the pool on their way down.  Loki would have walked away from such a landing.  Tori, not so much.

"So, Scarpetti, how does it feel to know that one of the most hated people on the planet has the hots for you?" sneered Agent O'Connell as he sidled up to Tori after the mission brief.

Tori feigned surprise at his comment.  "Sorry, but I don't like you like that, O'Connell.  In fact, I can't stand you!  You're just going to have to pine away over your unrequited love for me."

"You wish, Tori.  I mean Loki.  Why else would he have come to your rescue so quickly?"

"Uh, because I was able to call him and poof!  There he was.  Besides, isn't that what a partner is supposed to do when the other is in trouble?"  Tori certainly wasn't about to divulge the fact that she could only do so with the bracelet.  In fact, the only people who knew about that thing were the Asgardians and Fury.

The sneer had not left O'Connell's face.  "Oh yeah?  It sounds like a jealous boyfriend keeping tabs on you, not just a partner having your six."

Tori's eyes narrowed to slits as she replied, "I would much rather have Loki at my six than you or any of your pals, O'Connell."

Tori couldn't decide which was worse: Sitwell and his lackeys (who were like a pack of hyenas) or Loki's sudden shift in attitude.  After their first week of working together, Tori knew that Loki could be moody.  His mood after he rescued her, though, was just vile.  Tori began training without him because he had been rougher on her than usual the next day; Thor felt it necessary to step in when Loki had Tori pinned in a hold and would not let her get up as she started to black out.  The day after that, she had knocked on his door to see if he wanted to join her for dinner and movie night, but there was no answer.  Friday confirmed that Loki was, in fact, in his apartment.  Disappointed, Tori went back to her place.

Loki continued to avoid Tori or treat her with open contempt whenever they had to interact.  Tori's feelings were hurt, considering that she had begun to think of Loki as a friend.  She wasn't about to let on just how hurt she really was.  Instead, she threw herself into her work.  Their next mission was going to be a little closer to home.  This time, Loki would be working with the Avengers, and Tori would be part of the support team on the ground.

* * *

"Scarpetti, report."  Tori heard Coulson's voice through her earpiece as she sat by the shore of Lake Superior, ostensibly sunbathing and reading.  In reality, she was watching the cargo ships passing through the locks as they entered and left the largest of the Great Lakes.  Tori's sunglasses came with adjustable magnification so she wouldn't be so obviously holding binoculars.  Right now, she was watching for a freighter coming from Cyprus...or at least one that had markings that indicated it came from Cyprus.

"Nothing yet, sir.  The freight traffic is about the same as it has been the last couple of days."

"Keep a sharp eye out," Coulson ordered.  "The ship was last seen entering Lake Huron less than two days ago under cover of darkness.  Once it cleared the canal, it went into stealth mode.  They will have to drop their cloaking to get into the locks."

"Affirmative, sir."

Tori was uneasy about this one.  The freighter in question had been commandeered in the Indian Ocean.  Its cargo was rumored to be vibranium and illicit alien technology, headed to a Hydra stronghold somewhere in North America.  The fact that the ship had cloaking capability had made tracking it difficult, but not impossible.  SHIELD had eyes and ears in every port, canal, and shipping channel.  Once the ship had entered the St. Lawrence Seaway, SHIELD had begun tracking and mobilized its resources.  Tori's view of the incoming locks had been blocked by a ship entering the lock to head east, when she noticed something strange on the water.

"Coulson, do we have eyes in the sky?"

"Roger that, Scarpetti," Captain Rogers broke over the comm link.  "What do you see?"

"Well," replied Tori, "when was the last time that you saw a wake without a vessel causing it?  Take a closer look at the water, about a hundred yards west of the locks."

It didn't take long for them to get confirmation.  "She's right, guys.  We're going in."

Tori started packing up her stuff to rendezvous with the rest of the team.  This was an Avengers show from here on out.  The ship they had been looking for dropped it cloaking once the jet fired upon it.  She saw Iron Man and Thor bail out the back; it looked like Thor was carrying Loki.  That made Tori chuckle, since she knew that being carried was one of Loki's least favorite things.  They landed on the deck of the ship and went to work, though there was minimal resistance.  She watched the three men disappear below deck before turning to leave.

Walking back to the parking lot of the beach, Tori heard Tony say words that made her heart plummet to her feet.  "Guys...Loki's been captured.  They escaped the ship, and we don't know where they've gone."


	12. Oh Yeah, But Who's Going to Save YOU?

Tori had arrived at the rendezvous point just in time to see Thor getting truly worked up at his teammates.  Thunderheads gathered in the sky overhead, darkening what would have been a brilliant afternoon in the late summer.  "We must find him!  There is a reason that Hydra has taken my brother, and it is far worse than wanting a valuable hostage!"

Coulson, who was usually called upon to be the calm voice of reason, had to intervene.  "Thor, we working as fast as we can to locate him.  As soon as we can deploy an extraction team, we will."

Tori stepped into Thor's field of vision as the clouds began to disperse.  His eyes lit up as if he was about to say something, but Tori discreetly raised a finger to her lips.  She kept on walking to the edge of the group.  As soon as Thor was able to recede from the center of the gathered teams, he came to stand next to Tori.

The God of Thunder didn't have a poker face.  His anxiety was overflowing into his voice as he spoke.  "Agent Scarpetti, you are the only one able to retrieve Loki.  Do you have the cuff with you now?"

Keeping her voice low, Tori replied, "I do, but I do not trust everyone assembled here."  Thor looked at her with raised eyebrows, but Tori kept her eyes moving among the faces of the SHIELD agents involved in this operation.  All were present and accounted for; now she was observing them as she continued to speak.  "I think that we have a rat in our operation.  Up to this point, Loki's presence has been under wraps.  When he has helped, it's largely behind the scenes or in disguise."

"Who do you think is the traitor in our midst?"  The edge to Thor's voice told her that he planned to have first dibs on whoever it was.

Tori said, "I don't know.  I have suspicions, but no proof.  Let's get Loki back here first, okay?"

Thor gave her a grim nod as she slipped the bracelet on her wrist.  She did exactly what she had done before when she used it to call Loki.  This time, though, something was wrong.  Searing pain shot through Tori's arm.  She grit her teeth, trying to keep from crying out.  She quickly removed the cuff, two lines were burned into her skin where the edges of the cuff touched her skin.

Thor's brow knit together with concern upon seeing this.  "Whoever is holding him has found a way to thwart the enchantment on the cuff."

"I might not be able to summon him, but Fandral said that I can also use it to find his location," Tori placed the cuff on her other wrist.  " _Alright, where is he?_ " she thought.  This time, there was no pain.  A transparent image began to coalesce before Tori's eyes.  At first, it made her motion sick to see what was physically in front of her overlaid with the image that the bracelet was showing her.  She closed her eyes and the image became clearer.

Wherever they had taken him, Loki had a cowl over his head and was bound hand and foot.  He was in the back of an SUV, flanked by two large, no-neck brutes.  The image that Tori saw revealed a heavily wooded area and the vehicle was apparently driving on a winding mountain road.  Tori found that by thinking it, she could rotate her point of view.  She turned her view to look through the windshield of the vehicle.  A battered sign along the side of the road read "Vikings Camp Coal Co. - VC #3."  The vehicle suddenly turned off the paved road and dove down an overgrown trail.  Breaking away from the fading vision, Tori pulled out her phone and began typing.  Speaking in a low voice to Thor, she showed him a map and explained what the bracelet showed her.  They were headed to an abandoned coal mine in western Pennsylvania.

The big guy clamped a hand on Tori shoulder, almost knocking her over, and grinned.  "Then we shall go get him!"

"Thor," she said as her eyes fell on O'Connell, "let's keep this to ourselves.  You can tell the Avengers, but make sure that's as far as it goes.  Alright?"

"You are right, Tori.  If there is indeed a traitor here, we cannot risk them alerting whoever kidnapped my brother.  Will you join us on the ride home?"  Everyone was boarding their respective jets, so Tori snuck on to the jet with Thor.  She used his size to help her hide from the other SHIELD agents, knowing that they'd still be doing their pre-flight check by the time she and the Avengers were already at altitude.  Clint and Natasha both raised an eyebrow at Tori climbed aboard.  Jerking her thumb in Thor's direction she said, "Thunder Wonder has something to share with everyone and asked me to come along."

The two super spies just nodded silently and allowed Tori to find a seat for herself.  Everyone else boarded the plane, reacting to Tori's presence with mild surprise.  Once they were in the air, Tony asked her why she was on their jet.  "I know that you're the Loki-sitter, but why are you here?  Shouldn't you be helping Coulson find Reindeer Games?"

Thor stood from his seat.  "That is exactly what Agent Scarpetti has done.  Tori, tell them what you have found."

Tori made eye contact with everyone as she spoke.  "What I am about to tell you stays on this jet.  Understood?"

She went on to explain the bracelet and how it works.  Up to that point, no one understood how Loki knew where to find Tori when she had been kidnapped on her date gone wrong.  She also told them that the only ones to know about it were Fury and the Asgardians.  She also told them about what she saw when she used it to find Loki's whereabouts.

Bruce inquired, "If they are the only ones to know about it, how could the kidnappers prevent you from using it to bring Loki back?"

"Maybe they figured that I had some way to call him to me.  When I tried earlier, this happened," she replied as she held up her wrist to show the burn marks.

"So what's our move, Tori?" asked Steve.

"Simple, Cap.  We go get him."

In a matter of minutes, Tony had used Friday to find the plans for the VC #3 mine and sat photos of the region.  There had been an unusual amount of activity around the entrance to the main shaft.  Ostensibly, there was a contractor performing remediation and abandonment work on the mine to reduce liabilities for the holding company of the now-defunct mine operation.  What they saw, however, more closely resembled reinforcement and re-completion activities.  The sort of thing that someone would do if they were trying to convert the former mine into a bunker.

Between Tori and Tony, they were able to figure out a way into the mine without tipping off the kidnappers.  There was an auxiliary mine shaft on the other side of the ridge from the main entrance.  Based on the aerial photos, there had been no activity on that side of the mountains for some time.  Even if the kidnappers had installed surveillance or deterrents, Tony and Tori would go in to disable them and have Natasha and Clint as back-up.  Thor and Cap would attack from the main entrance.  Bruce would be on stand-by.  Once they were clear of the mine, "the other guy" would come out to shut down the entrance of the mine and/or smash whatever came out after them.

Before dropping Thor and Steve off, Thor handed Tori a small pouch.  "If Loki is too injured to move on his own, make sure to give him this."

Tori took the pouch and removed what looked like a smooth, rounded stone.  "You want me to give him a rock?  Is this some space Viking inside joke?" she asked incredulously.

Chuckling at her quip, Thor replied "It is a healing stone.  Loki may not be able to use his magic to heal himself.  This will help him."

Tori, Tony, Clint, and Natasha were positioned just outside the little used entrance to the shaft.  Tori heard Cap over the commlink, "Alright, guys.  We are in position, waiting for your mark."

The three Avengers to her right turned to look at Tori.  "You ready, Scarpetti?" asked Clint.  "You don't have do this, you know."

Tori shot a look at Clint.  "Like hell, I don't.  I owe him one."  Tori spoke into her comm, "Let's roll, Cap."

It was already dark when they arrived at the site.  Tori lowered her night vision goggles as she entered the mine, switching them on in the pitch black.  Clint and Natasha were similarly equipped; Tony had night vision and laser detection built in to his suit's visor so he could sweep for any sensors in the shaft.  They continued their steady descent down the incline until they came to an ore elevator.  So as not to make too much noise, Tony would carry everyone to the lower levels, where they assumed that Loki was being held.

"Alright, Tori.  Use your Loki detector," said Tony.

Tori thought to herself, " _How do I get to him from here?_ "  Closing her eyes, it was as if Tori was flying down the elevator shaft through the tunnels.  As the bracelet showed her where to go, Tori called out directions to her companions.

"Down two levels, turn left at the ore elevator.  One, no two, tunnels then turn the right.  There's a steel door down the tunnel with a keypad.  On the other side, there are solid doors to holding cells.  Loki is being held in the fifth one down on the left."  As she saw Loki in his cell, Tori voice hitched in her throat and she felt tears form behind her eyelids.  "Guys...he looks pretty bad.  We might have to get Thor to help us extract him."

Natasha asked in a calm and collected voice, "What do you mean, Tori?"

Her voice was thick as she described what she saw.  "He's shackled to the wall, but it looks like they've driven spikes into his arms, legs, and back.  They also have him hooked up to an IV of some sort.  I don't know if that rock you gave me will help him, Thor."

Thor's voice crackled over the comm, "I will come to you.  Just help my brother however you can."

With that, Tony started ferrying the others to the lower level.  Once they were all gathered in front of the ore elevator, they followed the rails in the tunnel to where they needed to turn.  It was in this side tunnel that they encountered the first set of sensors.  It was a simple laser motion sensor, about two feet off the floor.  They deactivated it and continued on their way.  Right in front of the door, however, there was an array of lasers from floor to ceiling.  These ones, however, randomly changed their pattern every thirty seconds.

"Alright, Tony.  We've gotten this far without being spotted.  I say we blow the door," Tori said as she looked at the other three.

"Oh, great!  That's just asking them to come to us," said Natasha.

Tori replied, "Well, how long will it take us to disable all of this shit?  Thor and Cap can't hold them off forever."

"Guys?  It's getting a little heavy out here," shouted Steve over his comm.  "If you can create a distraction down there, that might help the situation up here."

Tony fired up the blasters on his gloves.  "You heard the old man.  Let's make some noise."

A claxon blared through the tunnels as Tony blew the door open.  Tori and Natasha took out security cameras as they made their way down the hall.  When they got to the door to Loki's cell, Tony ripped it of its hinges.  The cell looked like an abattoir; the spikes piercing Loki's skin had blood weeping from around the punctures and dripping onto the floor and soaking his clothes as he lay in it.  Natasha went to the IV machine, reading the label on the bag that fed tubes.  "It looks like some sort of healing inhibitor.  They must be injecting it to keep Loki from regaining his strength."

Meanwhile, Tori was trying to get Loki to wake up.  "Loki?  Hey, you're going to be alright.  We're here now.  We have to get these damn things out of you."

Tori tentatively pulled at one of the spikes to remove it.  Loki writhed in pain, even as he appeared to be unconscious.  It would not come out easily.  Tori took a closer look at the spike and gasped with horror.  "Those sick fucks!  There are barbs on these!  I can't pull at them without tearing the shit out of his skin."

Natasha came over to inspect the spikes.  The head of each spike had what looked like a button recessed into it.  Pressing the button on the spike closest to the base of Loki's neck, Natasha and Tori hear a click which was accompanied by a flinch from Loki.  Natasha was able to remove the spike without causing further damage.  Now that they knew how to retract the barbs, Tori and Natasha began to remove the spikes and the IV tubes from Loki's arms.  They were almost done taking out the spikes in his back when Loki began to come around.

"My mind is truly addled for my last thoughts to be of you two," Loki slurred under the influence of blood loss and dehydration.

Tori looked at him as he struggled to open his heavy eyelids.  "Save it for later, Mischief.  You need your strength to finish healing once we get these out of you.  Plus," Tori said with a wry smile at Natasha, "I don't wanna hear about your threesome fantasies right now."

The normally stoic Black Widow snorted, "Tori, has anyone ever told you that you are unprofessional and wildly inappropriate?"

"Agent Romanov, that's going to be the title of my memoirs," Tori said as she removed the last spike from Loki's leg.  They could hear the sounds of gunfire from down the hall; Clint and Tony were able to hold them at bay while Tori and Natasha continued to treat Loki's injuries.  They gingerly rolled him onto the thin pallet on the floor to inspect his torso for any more of the heinous spikes.  They had not put any of them there, but there was a gaping wound in Loki's left side that oozed with infection.  Tori took the healing stone out of its pouch and called for Thor over the commlink.

"Hey, Thor!  How do I use the healing stone?  Loki is still out of it, but the biggest wound he has is deep and already infected."  Tearing a piece of cloth of the edge of Loki's ruined shirt, Tori use it to dab at the wound.  As she did so, more puss and blood weeped out of it.  The sight and smell caused Tori to wretch.

Loki opened one eye at the sound and muttered, "Please spare the dramatics, Vittoria.  It feels worse than it looks"

"If you weren't already down and out, Mischief, I'd punch you."  Tori tried to raise Thor on the commlink again, to no avail.

"You're with it enough to be a smart ass, Loki.  How do I use the healing stone that Thor gave me?"

With wheezing breaths, Loki instructed Tori.  "Hold it over the wound.  Now...crush it.  Make sure that the dust lands in the wound."  As she did so, Loki let out a hiss of pain.  The wound began to clear up and close as Tori continued to crumble the stone into it.

Tony's voice called out nervously, "Ladies!  Is Reindeer Games well enough to move?  We have to get the hell out here!"

Loki sat up.  He was clearly not at one hundred percent, but he was well enough to stand.  The punctures from the spikes had almost completely closed as the last of the healing inhibitor left his system.  The wound on his side was now completely healed.  Both Tori and Natasha stood, sidearms in hand.  Loki looked from one to the other.  "Neither one of you would happen to have a spare weapon, would you?"

Tori handed Loki one of her daggers and said, "I've got you covered, Mischief."

The sounds of the firefight rapidly approached.  From the cover of the doorway, Natasha and Tori took up their positions and waited.  Since both women couldn't stand in the doorway, Tori got down on the floor, laying prone and making herself a smaller target.  Clint and Tony rounded the corner with black uniformed foot soldiers hot on their heels.  Natasha and Tori laid down withering cover fire as Clint passed the door.  Tony stood his ground long enough for the two women and Loki to enter the hallway and follow Clint.  As soon as they were back in the mine tunnels, Tony and Clint shot explosive rounds into the hallway.  The rounds detonated, causing the hallway to collapse.

Tony shouted over the comm channel, "There's your cue, boys.  Get out of there!  Bruce: we are Code Green!"

They were already on the move when they received confirmation that the Hulk was out doing his thing.  Loki was stumbling in the dark behind Tori, since he was the only one without night vision gear.  She grabbed his hand and placed it on his shoulder, "Here!  Just stick with me!"

They could feel rumblings from the mine shafts above.  Not fearing discovery, Tori activated the ore elevator to get them to the upper level.  Everyone but Tony, who could fly, jumped into a bucket.  Tony shut off the elevator once they reached their stop so the others could scramble out.  They were almost home-free, seeing the end of the tunnel, when Loki suddenly flew backward.  Yowling in pain, he clutched at the torc around his neck.

Tori shouted, "Loki!  What's wrong?  Talk to me."

The pain must have been excruciating, because Loki answered in halting phrases.  "The one who captured me...they have done something to it.  Made it so they can...control my movements.  It burned when you tried to summon me."

Loki leaned on Tori for support as she helped him to his feet.  She worriedly asked, "What can we do?  How do we help you?"

"There is no helping me.  Go now.  While you still can."

Tori vigorously shook her head, "Not a chance, Mischief.  We came here to save you."

"Oh?  But who is going to save you, Vittoria?"

As if in answer to Loki's question, a blinding flash of light could be seen from outside the mine's entrance.  Footsteps began to rapidly approach their position in the tunnel.  Everyone had their weapons drawn, waiting for their night vision goggles to readjust after the unexpected light from outside.  The bright green of the screen was started to fade back to its darker hues when Tori heard a voice exclaim, "Ah, Lady Vittoria!  You are looking as lovely as ever.  Although, I must say that I don't care for that helmet.  It hides those beautiful blue eyes of yours!"


	13. Lucifer Was an Angel Once

"Fandral!  What are you guys doing here?"  Tori asked as the rest of the group stepped aside to allow Sif and the Warriors Three to come forward.  Loki's grip on Tori's shoulder, his anxiety evident.

Sif answered Tori's question.  "The All-Father dispatched us when Heimdall saw that you could not summon Loki with the cuff.  He has also sent us to apprehend the one who took Loki for her own purposes."

"Wait. Her?" said Clint.  Meanwhile, Hogun and Volstagg came forward to help Sif replace Loki's torc and cuffs with the ones they brought with them.

Fandral replied, "Yes.  A sorceress named Lorelei, a fugitive from Asgardian justice, has allied herself with the ones you call Hydra."

As the group ran to the head of the tunnel Tony said, "So you're saying that Rock of Ages may not have been an unwilling to go along with the kidnapping."  This earned him matching glares from both Tori and Loki.  Loki was winding up to give Stark a piece of his mind, but Tori beat him to it.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Stark?" Tori snapped with a ferocity that startled even Loki.  "Didn't you see how he looked when we got into the cell?  He didn't exactly look like he was willing to be taken by a magic-wielding cuntasaurus!"

They had reached the end of the tunnel and Loki was doubled over in laughter at Tori's choice of words and the reaction it elicited from the others.  Steve, however, wasn't having it.  " _Language_ , Scarpetti!"

"Come off it, boy scout!  We're all adults here.  Well, except for Tony."

They had reached the quinjet and were boarding it when Tony retorted, "Hey!  It's a long walk home, Tori."

Hawkeye and Natasha piloted the jet to the main entrance of the mine, where Steve, Thor, and Hulk were waiting.  Nat went out to take care of "the lullaby" while Thor and Steve boarded the jet.  Loki was seated next to Tori as she took a better look at him.  He looked like he was healing, but he was far from fully recovered.  " _If this sorceress had managed to learn Loki's whereabouts and did it using intel from Hydra's mole within SHIELD, he will need all of his strength._ "

Once Bruce and Nat were on the jet, Tori addressed the group.  "Loki need to go off the grid for a while.  At least until he's well enough to take on this bitch."

Loki was offended by the implication that he couldn't take care of himself.  "Really, Vittoria, I don't see what all of the fuss is about.  I have confronted Lorelei before."

"That may be true, brother, but Lorelei appears to have grown more powerful.  Your powers have been diminished as a result of your punishment.  Agent Scarpetti believes that there is a traitor within SHIELD that may have revealed that you were working with SHIELD and the Avengers.  You may not be safe if SHIELD knows where you are."

"Lady Vittoria," said Fandral, "I assume that you have an idea as to where Loki can safely recover his strength until we can draw out both the traitor and Lorelei."

"As a matter of fact," Tori said with a grin, "I know just the place."

* * *

Tori used the encrypted phone Tony gave her to call Nonna.  When she learned that Tori was coming and would be bringing her work colleagues, the woman was beside herself with joy.  "Of course, _pignatta_!  Bring your friends.  Stay as long as you need.  It will be nice to have some company.  Dinner will be on the table when you get here."  This exchange took place over speaker phone, so Nonna's nickname for Tori garnered a few chuckles and raised eyebrows.

"Why does that mean, ' _pignatta_?'" asked Loki.

Tori blushed as she looked down at the scuffed toes of her boots and answered, "Roughly translated, it means 'pie face.'  She calls me that because I had a very round face with chubby cheeks when I was a kid.  The name has sort of stuck."

"I think it's endearing," said Volstagg.  "I have a daughter with such a sweet face.  Little old ladies are constantly pinching her cheeks."

"Ugh!" Tori rubbed her own cheeks in sympathy, "Don't remind me of the cheek pinchers!  I have phantom pains at the mention of little old ladies.  Nonna's bingo friends were the worst!"

They were able to land the quinjet in Olympia Park, walking distance to Nonna's house.  As always this time of year, the front door was open and the smells of dinner were wafting down the hall and through the screen door.  Volstagg was practically drooling by the time they reached the foot of the front steps.  Before they had even reached the top step, Tori shouted into the house, "Hey, Nonna!  We're here!"

Everyone was amused to see a spritely little woman with short, curly silver hair and keen hazel eyes come to the door.  Tori stood a full head taller than her grandmother, but Nonna pulled her down into a strong hug and planted a big kiss on her granddaughter's cheek.  " _Bella_!  I was starting to worry about you.  Come in, come in.  Introduce me to your friends once yinz are all inside."

Nonna herded everyone into the massive dining room, where places had already been set.  It was a good thing that she had extra leaves for her table.  Nothing pleased Nonna more than having a house full of chatter and eating; she already had cheeses and meats laid out with wine and carafes of water.  After she was seated at the head of the table, Nonna was introduced to everyone at the table.  Upon hearing that it was the Avengers seated at her table, Nonna gave Tori a look.  "Since when does the FBI work with the Avengers?"

"Since when do you work for the FBI?" asked Steve.

Tori took a big swig of her wine before she answered, "Nonna.  As you have guessed, I do not work for the FBI.  You are the only person in this family, though, that I trust with that.  Can we keep it between us?"

Rosie Scarpetti patted her granddaughter's hand.  "Don't worry, _pignatta_!  I figured it out years ago.  I have kept your secret this long; I can keep it a while longer."

Tori squeezed her grandmother's hand.  "Thank you, Nonna."  Turning to the rest of the table, Tori explained, "I have told my family for years that I worked for the FBI because some of them have a...particular animus against SHIELD.  Especially my sister and her husband, who are both lawyers.  Not that saying I work to the FBI is much better.  Family gathering are so much fun when those two are around."

Nonna tried to hide her smile, but it was no use.  Loki saw the same mischievous glint in the old woman's eyes that he had come to recognize in Agent Scarpetti's.  The old woman notice Loki looking at her, then turned to her granddaughter and started speaking in Italian.

"È colui con cui lavora?" ("Is he the one you work with?")

"Sì, nonna. Perché?" (Yes, Nonna.  Why?)

"Guarda quegli occhi verdi! È così bello." (Look at those green eyes!  He's so handsome.")

"Non adesso. Si prega, nonna?" (Not now.  Please, Nonna?)

"Che cosa? Ha il volto di un angelo." ("What?  He has the face of an angel!")

"Beh, Lucifero era un angelo una volta." (Well, Lucifer was an angel once.")

There was stifled laughter and snorts coming from the Asgardians and from Natasha.  Tori knew that Natasha spoke Italian, but was confused by the Asgardians' reactions until she heard the man seated to her right respond in his sinfully beautiful voice, "Grazie, signora, ma tua nipotina è un professionista perfetto." ("Thank you, ma'am, but your granddaughter is a perfect professional.")

His response in Italian earned Tori a hard pinch on the arm.  Tori rubbed at the sore spot on her arm as Nonna scolded her.  "Why didn't you tell me that he could speak Italian?  You are terrible, Vittoria, to let me go on like that.  I am so sorry for my granddaughter's lack of manners."

Thor rushed to Tori's defense.  "It is not her fault, Mrs. Scarpetti.  Tori did not know we speak Italian."

Rosie still gave Tori the stink-eye but was willing to believe Thor.  Her expression soften as she asked Tori to help her bring the food out of the kitchen.  While in the kitchen, Nonna continued to pump Tori for information.  "So?  Is he single?  He had better be, the way he looks at you."

"Nonna, you're imagining things."

"I only know what I see.  He says that you are a 'perfect professional.'  Don't be too professional, huh?" she said with a wink.

"Nonna!  That's enough!  Please?" Tori pleaded.

Deciding that her granddaughter had been embarrassed enough, Rosie relented.  Each of the women went out into the dining room bearing a basket of bread and a large bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.  Tori made a second trip to bring out two bowls full of salad.  To Rosie's surprise, she had to boil more pasta to make sure that everyone got enough to eat.  Thanks to Tori's willingness to share Nonna's cooking with others, everyone knew of Rosie Scarpetti's reputation.  To dine at the source, though, was an experience.  As if dinner wasn't enough, Nonna had Tori put on some espresso and bring out a chocolate torte.

Over dessert, they explained to Rosie that Tori and Loki would be staying with her for a while.  The Avengers would cover for Tori, saying that she had a family emergency that required an extend leave of absence.  If there was any sign of trouble, they had an escape plan and the ability to call for help.  While she was concerned for her granddaughter's safety, Rosie said that she was confident that Tori and that "strapping young man" could handle themselves.  Tori almost choked on her water; she considered telling Nonna that Loki was more than ten times her age.  She thought better of it, though.  There was no need to make Nonna edgy.

Everyone said their goodbyes and got a hug from Nonna.  She extracted promises to come back and visit from everyone...even from Sif and the Warriors Three.  Thor pulled Tori aside as everyone else was talking to Rosie.  "Agent Scarpetti, I cannot thank you enough for doing this.  Your grandmother is most kind to allow Loki to stay here.  We will find Lorelei and her accomplices, I promise."

She gave him a small smile and a pat on the forearm.  "I know you guys will.  In the meantime, Mischief and I will keep a low profile.  Although, I'm kinda worried that he's completely charmed Nonna."

Thor let out a hearty laugh at this.  "I think that Loki should scared of Nonna if anything were to happen to you.  He won't let it, though."

Thor then got a look on his face like he had said too much.  Before Tori had a chance to question this, Tony was yelling at him to hurry up.  "Thor!  Are you planning to help Nonna tuck Loki in to bed?  Let's go!"

With that, the God of Thunder bounded down the stairs to join the others as they walked back to the park.  Tori, Loki, and Rosie stood on the porch and watched them disappear through the trees.  Rosie turned to the young woman and the God of Mischief and said, "Come on.  Yinz can help me with the dishes."


	14. Hide Your Nonnas

Tori and Loki handled the dishes while Nonna sat at the small breakfast table in the kitchen so she could visit with her two houseguests.  She put on her reading glasses and pull out a deck of cards so she could play solitaire.

"So, how long have you been working together?"

Loki watched the old woman shuffle the deck, her wrinkled hands still nimble after years of card playing and needlework.  He replied, "Vittoria and I have worked together for almost two months now, Signora Scarpetti."

"Please, call me Rosie or Nonna," she said as she peered over the edge of her glasses.  Returning her attention to her cards, Rosie began to deal her hand as she spoke.  "So right after Vittoria got into trouble with that business in Boston, eh?  She said that they where going to put her behind a desk.  I take it you're the reason that she is not busy typing and filing for other people."

"In a manner of speaking," Loki replied with a grin.

Nonna shook her head.  "You look like the cat that ate the canary, _bello_.  Why do I think that my granddaughter finds more trouble with you around?"

"It may be more accurate to say that trouble finds Vittoria.  However," Loki paused until Tori looked at him, "if it wasn't for her, I would still be in trouble right now."

Loki's comment made Tori blush, as well as keeping her tongue-tied.  Nonna, naturally, didn't miss a thing.  "Oh, look!  You've embarrassed her now.  My granddaughter has trouble with taking a compliment.  I sometimes think she is more comfortable arguing and being sassy."

Loki laughed at this, "I am inclined to agree with you, Nonna."  He chuckled as his comment earned him a glare while Tori call him a "kiss-ass."

They finished the dishes and Tori turned to Rosie.  "Nonna, do you want to play cards?  Or would you like to go sit in the living room?"

" _Bella_ , if we start playing cards right now, I'm liable to fall asleep at this table.  I am going to go to bed, but let me show Loki his room."

The three of them headed upstairs.  Opening the door at the end of the hall on the right, Rosie turned on the light.  "Here is your room.  You're quite tall, but I think you'll be comfortable."  The room was similar to Tori in that it had a full-size bed, only this one was covered with one of Nonna's quilts and decorated with pictures from the family's beach house vacations.  Loki looked at the photos on the walls, spotting one that was clearly of a young Tori.

"That must be you," he said as he pointed to the photo of Tori as a little girl in a blue and white striped bathing suit.  With a big grin on her face, she had a bucket in one hand and a sand shovel in the other.  An older man was lying on the ground, completely covered in sand from the neck down.  "Who have you buried in this picture?"

Nonna looked at the photo, "That is my late husband, Vito.  He had fallen asleep on his beach towel, and Tori's father egged her on to cover her Nonno with sand."

With a raised eyebrow and a smirk, Loki looked at Tori.  "It didn't take much encouragement, did it?"

"Nope.  Even then I was hell on wheels."  Loki continued to smirk at her until Tori replied, "As if you weren't a handful as a child.  I'm going to have to ask Thor for some blackmail stories from childhood."

Loki's eyebrows raised in surprise.  "You wouldn't dare!"

Tori grinned back at him, "You never know, Loki.  You never know."

"Well, I am off to bed.  Don't stay up too late.  Good night, _pignatta_."  The old woman took Tori's face in both hands as she gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Good night, Nonna.  We'll see you in the morning," replied Tori.

"Good night, Nonna," Loki chimed in with an overly saccharine smile.  Rosie smiled endearingly as she patted him on the cheek and bid Loki good night and shuffled down to her bedroom at the other end of the hall.

Tori rolled her eyes as she muttered, "You're really laying it on thick, aren't you?"

"I can't help it if sweet, little old ladies love me," Loki said with more than a little smug satisfaction.

"Ha!  Don't let that 'sweet, little old lady' fool you.  She owns a double-barreled 12 gauge and sleeps with a knife under her pillow."

Loki chuckled, "Are all the women in your family as feisty as you and Nonna?"

Pretending to mull over his question, Tori tilted her head to the side before she replied, "No, only the ones worth knowing."

Tori turned to leave Loki's room when Loki put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.  Surprised at this, Tori turned around and almost bumped into him.  She looked up at him, feeling uncomfortably warm at how close he was standing and the fact that his hand was still on her shoulder.  The look in his eyes was entirely foreign, as was the tone of his voice when he said, "Thank you, Vittoria, for coming to get me.  Even though I was upset that you had put yourself in harm's way, I can only imagine what Lorelei and her new associates would have done if you had not."

Trying to keep her voice from wavering, Tori replied, "Sure thing, Mischief.  What are friends for?"

There was no masking her surprise when Loki pulled her into a hug.  He seemed uncertain how to give a strictly platonic hug, with his stiff arms and not really knowing where to place his hands, but Loki relaxed when Tori wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him back.  It seemed to last a long time, but Tori didn't want to be the one to break away first.  To her, it seemed like the wrong thing to do.  Tori let him go and backed away when she felt his arms loosen around her shoulders.  Relief seemed to wash over Loki's face, but Tori kept it to herself.  Instead, she stepped out into the hallway and grabbed the knob to close the door behind her.  "See you in the morning, Loki.  Good night."

Tori closed the door to her own room with a soft click.  She leaned with her back against the door and closed her eyes with a sigh.  As she inhaled, she could smell Loki on her clothes.  There was simply no escaping it, just like when he had tried commandeering her bed on his first night staying in her apartment.  It was comforting and arousing, just like being near him increasingly seemed to be.  " _Dammit, Tori!  You need to quit setting yourself up.  He's a hot has hell Norse god/ space Viking.  He's not interested in your mortal ass!_ "  Tori shook her head as she changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed.  For the first time in years, sleeping on her own made her feel lonely as she shut her eyes and laid her head on the pillow.

* * *

Loki had been relieved to have the woman finally pull away from his embrace.  Not because he found it unpleasant.  In fact, it was quite the opposite; the smell of her and the feeling of her in his arms had been torture because he had to fight the urge to crush her body to his and plant bruising kisses on her full, soft lips.  If he had held her much longer, Loki was certain that Tori would not have been sleeping alone.  If he had it his way, Tori would have been his weeks ago.

Yes, Loki had been upset by the incident with her date gone awry.  He had been furious with her for the stunt in Colombia because she had been reckless with her own life.  Also fueling Loki's anger was the burning jealousy he felt when " _el maricón_ " shamelessly tried to put the moves on Tori.  So much so, in fact, that Thor said he was surprised that Loki himself had not burst into flames or turned himself into dragon to incinerate that little punk.  Surely, the woman was not oblivious to him!  Loki had convinced himself that she was either openly flirting with other men on purpose to anger him or that she was trying to not acknowledge what was plain to even his idiot brother.  Either way, Loki had resolved to pull back from being overly friendly to her.

He thought that his efforts to distance himself from her, maintaining a relationship on a professional level, had quelled the irrational, maddening need that he began to feel when he was staying in her quarters back at SHIELD.  Instead, the absence of her companionship these last weeks had only demonstrated it.  Every glimpse he caught of her, even the sound of her voice, drove him to distraction.  Now, she had gone against all of SHIELD's protocols, organized a rescue mission without informing Fury, and was hiding him at her grandmother's house!  Loki decided that sleep was necessary if he was going to think with a clear head.  He only wished that he had her soft, warm figure laying next to him as he fell asleep.

* * *

Tori woke the next morning to the smells of coffee and Nonna cooking breakfast.  She hurried to get dressed, knowing that her grandmother had probably been awake for at least an hour and was just now sitting to eat.  Tugging on jeans and a t-shirt and throwing her hair into a messy bun, Tori reached the top of the stairs and heard Nonna talking and Loki laughing.  " _Oh, no!  What is she telling him?_ "

Loki was seated at the table in the kitchen, drinking his coffee, while Rosie was at the stove cooking Tori's favorite breakfast: egg on toast with grilled peppers.  Loki was the first to see her.  "Good morning, Vittoria!  I see that the birds have made a nest of your hair again," he said by way of greeting.  Tori, who was not a morning person, flipped him off in response. Thankfully, Nonna still had her back to Tori.  Otherwise, she would have probably gotten another pinch on the arm.

"Good morning, Nonna.  Thank you for making breakfast," Tori said as she went to get a cup of coffee and give Nonna a kiss.

"Good morning, _bella_.  I know that it's your favorite.  What are you two planning to do today?  Hopefully, you plan to fix your hair before you go anywhere."

Tori wrinkled her nose at Nonna's comment, then turned to Loki.  "I see what you're doing, brown-noser!  You're trying to steal my Nonna!"

Loki raised his coffee cup to his lips, winking at Tori over the edge of it, in response to her accusation.  She shook her head and let a frustrated growl slip out as she poured her coffee and grabbed plates from the cupboard.  Rosie looked at her granddaughter in amusement.  "Don't worry, _pignatta_.  You still have your Nonna."

Rosie plated the food and Tori carried the full plates and silverware to the table.  "So what were you two laughing at before I came down?"

"Your grandmother was telling me about the last time that you brought a man home to meet the family."

The color left Tori face as her mouth fell open.  "Nonna!  You didn't!" Tori gasped.

"Don't be so embarrassed, Vittoria.  I was just telling Loki what he can expect when he meets your brothers and your father," Rosie said with a twinkle in her eye.

Tori tried her best to fix Nonna with a stern gaze as she asked, "Just what makes you think that will be happening, Nonna?  Mom and Dad are in California and the boys are in Washington."

"Didn't I tell you?  They are coming here to visit.  They want to go to the first Steelers home game.  I thought Johnny got you a ticket."

"Nonna, you know what a flake Johnny is.  If his head wasn't attached to his shoulders, he'd lose it."  Tori looked at the calendar hanging on the kitchen wall.  If her parents and the boys were coming into town for the first home game that meant...oh shit!  "Uh, Nonna?  That means they'll be here next week!"

The panic-stricken look on Tori's face only served to make Loki's grin even more insufferable.  He was just eating this up.  " _Why?  Why me?_ " Tori thought to herself as a thousand scenarios, each more disquieting than the last, played out in her mind.  Of course, if her parents and the boys were coming, that also meant the shrill harpy she called sister would also be coming with her beta-male husband in tow.  Fan-fucking-tastic.  Tori now wondered if it was too early in the morning for her to add whiskey to her coffee.

* * *

Tori and Loki had just gotten back from town, with a quick detour to the grocery store, when she heard the sound of other women's voices coming from inside the house.  It sounded like Nonna had a party going.  Loki got the door for Tori as she had an armful of groceries.  The sound of their footsteps in the entryway was greeted with, "Look!  They're here!"

Tori and Loki were suddenly surrounded by a group of little old ladies that Tori instantly recognized as Nonna's bingo buddies.  One of them was her Nonno's sister Silvia, a cheek pincher extraordinaire.  Even now, with arthritis, Zia Silvia could get a hunk of anyone's cheeks to pinch.  Right now, however, she was focused on sizing up the tall, raven-haired man standing next to her grandniece.  "Tori," rasped out Zia in her smoker's voice, "how come you didn't tell the family that you were bring a man home?  Couldn't you have waited until your parents got here next week?"

"Hello to you, too, Zia.  It's nice to see you.  How are Ray and the grandkids?"  Loki gave Tori a sideways glance, clearly wanting to know what was going on.

The rest of the ladies were all like aunts to Tori, having spent time with her Nonna's crazy group of friends and growing up with most of their grandchildren.  They were all expectantly looking from Loki to her.  Taking the hint, Tori suppressed a sigh.  "Ladies, this is Loki.  He is a _work_ colleague.  He and I have to stay here with Nonna for a while, as part of our _work_."

The Blue-Haired Bloody Mary Connoisseur's Society wasn't buying it.  They were all so busy ~~appraising the merchandise~~ sizing up man in question, that they had completely forgotten that both the younger looking people in the house had arms full of melting groceries.  That is, of course, until Rosie shooed them out of the way so Tori and Loki could pass down the hall.  The older women all followed, tittering away like schoolgirls.  Tori caught Loki's eye and mouthed, " _What the hell is this?_ "  For his part, Loki shrugged in response.

Rosie, however, didn't miss a beat.  "Your Zia Silvia saw you driving my car down the block and happened to see Loki sitting in the passenger seat.  Naturally, she wanted to know who this young man was driving around with you."  Tori had a feeling that Nonna wanted to add the words, "that nosy bitch" to the end of her sentence.  The two of them had always had a contentious relationship since before Nonna and Nonno got married.  It was for the love of one's husband and the other's brother that the two women had put aside their differences; that still didn't mean that all was in perfect harmony.  "Zia also had to tell ladies to meet here before bingo tonight so they could all get a good look at him."

As Tori was unloading and putting away groceries, Loki seated himself at the table with his legs sprawled out in front of him as always.  The kitchen was rather crowded with all these would-be cougars trying to get a look at him.

"Geezaloo! Get a look at those gypsy eyes," Mrs. Stabile exclaimed, "Tori, I know that you're a good girl, but I wouldn't leave you alone with him if you were my granddaughter."

"I assure you, ma'am, that if I were to try anything untoward with Vittoria, she most likely has the skill to cut my throat.  If not, I have no doubt that Mrs. Scarpetti would," replied a rather amused Loki.

"Oh, no!  He has dimples when he smiles!  Loki, I have three granddaughters that are single if Tori hasn't already snatched you up," said Mrs. Nowakowski.

Loki was amused that the older woman's insinuation caused Tori to shoot daggers in her direction.  Loki gave her a measured response, "I appreciate the offer, ma'am.  However, there is someone in whom I am rather interested.  In fact, I have been interested in her for some time now."

While the little old ladies were going on about what a lucky girl the mystery woman was, Tori looked at Loki with a furrowed brow and a tilt of her head.  " _Who in the hell is he talking about?  He can't mean anyone here.  He must mean someone back on Asgard._ "  Finished with restocking the kitchen, Rosie started pushing the older women toward the door.  "I hope that you two can manage dinner on your own tonight.  We are off to bingo.  I will see you when I get home!"

The rest of the women made sure to bid Loki good-bye, more than a few of them muttering about how they didn't want to go play bingo now.  When the sound of the cackling hens had died off, Tori turned to Loki.  "Well, are you thoroughly traumatized?  That's what happens when you have had the same people living within a three block radius almost all their lives.  Everyone is in each other's business.  You might want to hide in your room for the duration of your stay here.  I'm sure that they will all make excuses to come over and visit Nonna so that they can see you."

Loki just laughingly replied, "Perhaps I should give them something to look at when they do.  Maybe I shall stay in my pajamas all day?"

Tori hated that she blushed involuntarily at the image conjured by his suggestion.  She hated even more that he gave her that same knowing grin he always seem to wear whenever he made her uncomfortable.  It was going to be a long night.


	15. A Few Discoveries

It was a bit surreal for Tori, having the God of Mischief and Chaos make himself at home in her grandmother's house.  Yet there he was, seated at the kitchen table and drinking a glass of wine while Tori cooked them dinner.  He had taken to watching her work in the kitchen when he was crashing on her couch.  This time, however, there was something different in the way that Loki watched her.  It made Tori slightly nervous.  Okay, more than slightly nervous; she scalded herself on the boiling water when she drained the cannelloni shells over the sink.  In a flash, Loki was on his feet catching the colander before it fell to the floor.

Unphased by the incident, Loki inspected the burn on the inside of her left wrist and the heel of her hand.  It was starting to blister and hurt like hell.  "I had better go get some burn ointment and a bandage," Tori stammered.  Loki wouldn't release her hand as she tried to pull it away.

"That won't be necessary, Vittoria," he said as he placed his fingertips against the injury.  His touch began to cool, and Tori felt tingling in her skin.  When he withdrew his fingers, Tori saw that Loki had healed her completely and left no trace of the burn.  He then took her other hand and inspected the burns from the cuff on her other wrist.  Brushing his thumb lightly over the twin burn marks made her wince with discomfort.

With a reproving look, Loki softly scolded Tori.  "You should have had me look at this earlier."  Performing the same service, Loki traced the burn marks around Tori's right wrist until it was completely healed.  He now held both of her hands in his much larger ones, thumbs idly tracing circles on the tender skin on the inside of her wrists.  Tori noticed that Loki's hands bore smooth callouses on his fingertips and on the top of each palm.  " _It must be from training with various weapons_ ," Tori reasoned.  They certainly weren't like the callouses on her father's hands, which were rough and cracked from years of construction work while not wearing gloves.

Loki's hands were hypnotic and his touch so soothing that Tori did not notice he was watching her intently until she heard the kitchen timer buzz to let her know that the lamb and vegetables were done braising.  Reluctantly, Tori pulled her hands away as she said, "Thank you for looking after those.  I didn't know that you could heal others' injuries."

"I am not much of a healer, but I can take care of minor injuries for others."  Loki then added with a sardonic smile, "Only, do not come to me with anything worse than a broken bone.  I tried healing Thor once.  Mother had to undo what I had done, which caused him even more pain than the original injury."

Tori's eyes widen.  "What did you do?  Or should I ask, what did Thor do to himself?"  She continued working to put together the lamb cannelloni as he spoke.

"We were hunting for wild boar in the forest, mere teenagers at the time.  We entered a clearing and found evidence that a herd had been rooting for fallen acorns and roots to feed.  Thor wanted to keep charging through the forest.  However, I told him that if we just stayed in the clearing and remained patient the boar soon would walk past us.”

Tori was intrigued.  “So, what happened?”

“As I predicted, the boar walked into the clearing.  He took no notice of us, at first.  Then the Golden Boy decided to be a hero.  He rushed headlong at the wild thing, intent on taking it down with just the knife in his hand.  For his trouble, Thor’s left leg was gored by its tusks.  I had a spear and drove it through the boar’s heart before it could finish the job.  I saved his leg.  Well, tried to, at any rate.  I was not very good, having just learned how to heal myself.  I was not as careful about rejoining the torn tendons and muscles, so while I was able to stop the bleeding and close the wound, Thor wasn't able to flex his ankle or bend his knee at all.  He had to hobble the whole way.  Mother and the healers spent hours undoing what I had done.  I had to go back alone with Fa- I mean Odin to bring the boar home.”

Snorting from her effort to keep from laughing aloud, Tori burst out laughing anyway.  "I shouldn't think it's funny, but the image of Thor hobbling around is just too much!  At least there was no permanent damage."

"No.  No permanent damage.  Although, he wouldn't let me heal him after that," Loki replied with a chuckle.

The cannelloni had to finish in the oven, so Tori and Loki went to sit in the living room.  As she passed Nonna's upright piano, Loki noticed that Tori had a wistful look on her face as her fingers lovely brushed over the keys. "I take it that you know how to play," Loki said as they took up their respective seats.

"I started playing when I was seven.  I played the guitar, too; I used to play and sing all the time.  I was even in a band when I was in college.  Nothing big.  It started out as a jam session in the dorms, then we started playing at some of the local bars once a month.  It didn't pay much, but it was fun."

From the smile on her face and the animated way that she spoke, Loki could tell that she had truly enjoyed being a musician.  "Why did you give it up?"

Tori looked down at the wine glass in her hand, swirling the dark liquid as she answered.  "Because I graduated and went into the Navy.  Even if I hadn't, my sister and brothers teased me so horribly that I quit playing in front of family.  Well, everyone but Nonna."

"Would you be willing to play something for me?" Loki asked with genuine curiosity.

With an incredulous look, Tori replied, "If I do, you have to promise to not be hyper-critical.  It has literally been years since I played anything.  Also, don't expect me to sing."

"Oh, why not?  If your singing voice when you play your own accompaniment is anything like your singing in the shower, that will be the best part."

Tori's mouth formed an "O" as Loki grinned at the perfect surprise caused by his comment.  She turned beet red as she said, "You've heard me singing in the shower?  I closed both the bathroom _and_ bedroom doors!"

"My hearing is very sensitive, Vittoria.  Of course, once I knew that you could sing, I would open the bedroom door so I could hear you more clearly."

"I'm surprised that you didn't sit in the bathroom to listen," Tori grumbled into her wine glass.

Loki's eyes danced with mirth.  "I may have done so once or twice."

She shot him a look that was equal parts shock and indignation.  "I'm glad to see that you've learned a thing or two about personal boundaries in your time here on Earth," she said sarcastically.  Loki's gaze continued to unnerve Tori, and she was grateful that the kitchen timer went off.  It gave her a chance temporarily escape his scrutiny and focus on something else.

Tori scurried into the kitchen; Loki leisurely rose from his seat and followed her.  As he entered the kitchen, Loki watched her remove the baking dish from the oven.  Tori plated their food and set them at their places, her hands slightly shaky.  Tori relaxed a bit when Loki's attention turned from her to the plate in front of him.  She poured herself another glass of wine while he dug in to his meal.  "Now, this.  This is excellent.  I see that you are a marvelous cook in your own right.  I am sure that Nonna is quite proud."

"Thank you," Tori had the beginnings of a blush as she spoke.  "Coming from you, that's high praise.  Especially since you threatened to stalk me so you could keep eating well."

Loki looked at her with a playful smirk as he raised his wine glass to his lips and said, "Among other reasons."

Emboldened, Tori gave Loki an amused look.  "What other reasons?" she asked teasingly.

With a graceful shrug, Loki replied, "I would rather look at you than the blond oaf, for one.  Also, when he is in the company of Dr. Foster, it is difficult for one to keep from losing his lunch."

"Aw, you mean to tell me that Thor and Jane getting all smaltzy with each other makes you uncomfortable?" Tori continued to tease him.  "Speaking of Jane, you had mentioned that Thor told your parents a how he and Jane met.  I take it that he didn't tell them about being hit with the truck or tasered.  What did he tell them?"

While Loki had made a sour face at the phrase "your parents," he immediately brightened up at the mention of Thor telling his parents a less-than-factual account of his time on Midgard.  It was all the invitation that Loki needed to recount just how Thor, the endearingly gullible,  less-clever prince of Asgard, had told the biggest whopper of his life.  And was now busted for it.

"He said that he had met Dr. Foster, Dr. Selvig, and Ms. Lewis when he went looking for Mjolnir.  Thor spun a yarn about how Dr. Foster's laboratory had been pillaged by a marauding rival, and that this same group was also trying to figure out how to use Thor's hammer for themselves.  In his version of events, he took it upon himself to save the fair maiden from distress.  He did tell Odin and Mother that he had, unsuccessfully, tried to lift the hammer.  Thor also mentioned Dr. Selvig tricking SHIELD into releasing him."  Loki grinned as he added, "There was absolutely no mention of being struck multiple times by Dr. Foster's vehicle or of Ms. Lewis using his own element against him."

Tori was giggling as she asked, "So, would the true story be more embarrassing or less embarrassing than the time you two had to dress in drag to go get Mjolnir back from the frost giant?"

"Oh, more embarrassing because of his banishment and because he was felled by lightning in the hands of a mortal!  Incidentally, that other story would never have seen the light of day if it hadn't been for Freya losing her mind over Thor's willingness to marry her off to that frost giant in the first place.  When she heard about the lengths to which the thoughtless idiot was willing to go, Freya couldn't keep it to herself.  For the record, we weren't actually dressed in women's clothing..."

It's not often that one gets to have a private Q&A session with the God of Mischief, so Tori found herself quizzing him on all sorts of Norse mythology and historic events of the last thousand years.  Loki, once he got started, was an enthusiastic storyteller.  He freely admitted to coming to Midgard every century or so, not in his official capacity, but just to make life interesting for certain mortals.  He and Tori were soon done with dinner and retiring to the living room with a bottle of port.

"I regret to say that I did not spend much time in the Americas, at first.  However, once Europeans began to travel there, the clash of cultures was too fertile an opportunity for me to resist.  Even being discovered and punished by the All-Father for sneaking into Midgard wasn't enough to keep me in check," Loki said as they sat down.

Tori couldn't help laughing at the glee with which he described his exploits.  "So what you're saying is that you'd come along, stir shit up, then sit back and watch things blow up (sometimes literally) on the people you wanted to screw with?"

"The people of this realm are so unpredictable, Vittoria.  There is only so much mischief and chaos that I can cause in the other realms before others begin to catch on and retaliate.  Here? I can plant the seeds and watch them grow, gaining almost instant satisfaction for very little effort.  I can always find willing accomplices, short-lived though they may be."

Tori was just about to ask him who his most deserving target had ever been when the sound of Brian Johnson screaming "You've been thunderstruck!" startled Tori and interrupted their conversation.

"What's shakin', Thunder Wonder?"

"Agent Scarpetti!  Sif, The Warriors Three, and I are returning to Pittsburgh.  SHIELD obtained information from Dr. Childress indicating that Hydra was building a portal with Lorelei.  According to the doctor, it is hidden somewhere near Pittsburgh.  We could use help locating it."

Loki made a face, as he clearly overheard Thor's end of the conversation.  Tori shrugged at him while she replied to Thor, "Got it.  We are just finished with dinner.  When will you be here?"

"Our ETA is thirty minutes, Tori," said Clint, who must have been piloting the jet.

"Okay.  We'll see you here."  Tori hung up the phone and turned to Loki, "So it looks like we aren't going to have a quiet evening in."

"I still expect to hear you sing and play the piano at some point, Vittoria."

"Well, you can expect all you want, Loki.  That doesn't mean you'll actually  _get_ what you want."

"I make it a habit to get _exactly_ what I want.  Agent Barton said that they will not be arriving for another thirty minutes.  I think that is plenty of time for you to make good on your promise."

Tori sighed.  She had really hoped that Loki would let the matter drop.  Singing in the shower when she thought no one was listening was one thing.  Singing when she knew someone was listening, especially when he had a habit of staring, was completely different.  Self-consciously, Tori stood from the couch and walked over to the piano bench.  She lifted the lid and began rummaging through the sheet music inside.  Sitting cross-legged on the floor with sheets of music scattered about her, Tori found a few pieces that wouldn't be too challenging since she was so out of practice.  The music at Nonna's house was classical, operatic, or American standards.  Nonna introduced her grandchildren to Chopin, Verdi, and The Ratpack.  Tori introduced Nonna to Pink Martini and Michael Bublé.

She felt rather than saw that Loki was standing over her, looking at the music she had discarded.  There was one piece that he picked up and began reading.  He handed it to her and said, "Here.  Play this one, too."

Tori took the sheet music from his hand but shook her head upon seeing what it was.  "I am way too out of practice to do this piece any justice, especially if I'm going to play and sing.  The ghosts of my Italian ancestors would haunt my sorry ass for even trying.  Besides, who's going to sing Radames?"

"I will," Loki smirked at Tori looked up at him, shocked by his answer.  "I am not completely ignorant of Midgardian music, Vittoria.   _Aida_ is one of my favorites and I think that you could easily pull off Amneris.  However, if you don't feel up to the challenge tonight, I expect you to practice.  I _will_ ask you again, and I expect you to be ready when I do."

" _Great.  Just great.  When am I going to find time to practice?_ " Tori thought as gathered up the sheet music on the floor.  Loki offered her a hand up, which she gratefully took.  He pulled up to her feet with ease and guiding her to the piano.  " _He wants to keep me from bolting upstairs.  Dammit_ ," she thought as she looked down at her hand in his.  She took her seat at the piano, while Loki remained standing next to her.

"Remember your promise?  You're not going to laugh or be critical, right?"

"You have my word, such as it is," Loki sniffed as if offended that Tori didn't trust him uphold his end.  She nervously nodded, satisfied with his answer but still not sure what to expect.  Placing her fingers on the keys, Tori began to play the opening bars to "Dondé estás, Yolanda?"  It was one of her favorites to play and sing.  An added bonus was that it wouldn't tax her vocal range the way that Verdi would.  When she had finished, with only a few missteps, Loki gave her an appreciative nod.

"For someone who claims to be out of practice, you play and sing very well.  Let's have another, shall we?"

Tori was halfway through her musical selections, playing "Dream On" from memory and foregoing Steven Tyler's signature high-pitch, when the doorbell announced the arrival of Thor and his friends.  Loki, who had gone from standing behind Tori to sitting next to her on the piano bench, looked displeased to have his private concert interrupted.  "You had better go let them in," he said dryly.  "If you take too long to answer the door, Thor will most likely break the door down."

Tori's face scrunched up at that thought.  "Yeah.  Nonna would be pissed if she came home to a busted door," she said as she slid off the bench and quickly made her way down the hall.  Upon opening the front door, Tori saw that Thor filled the doorway.  Through the smidgen of space between the God of Thunder's figure and the doorframe, Tori could see Clint, Sif, and the Warriors Three standing on the porch.  

"Good evening, Agent Scarpetti.  It sounded like there was a party in here when we came to the door.  We could hear music and singing."  The men gave her an inquisitive look; Sif eyed her with suspicion.  " _She is a perpetually cranky bitch,_ " Tori thought as she greeted the group.

Turning her attention back to Thor, she replied, "Oh, yeah.  That was me.  Loki figured out that I can play the piano and sing.  I told him I would if he didn't get all Simon Cowell on me."

Clint chuckled at Tori's reference, while the Asgardians were confused.  Stepping aside to let them enter the house, Tori explained who Simon Cowell was, to which Fandral replied, "It sounds like he and Loki would get along swimmingly.  For him to hold his tongue in check, you must be truly talented, Lady Vittoria."

"Not that you would know, Fandral, but Vittoria's talent is only surpassed by her modest opinion of her skills," snipped Loki from behind Tori.  He was halfway down the hall and giving Fandral an icy reception.  "Other than disrupting a perfectly pleasant evening, I am sure that you have a purpose here."

"Indeed we do, brother," replied Thor, either oblivious to the mounting tensions between his friends and Loki or trying to diffuse the situation.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure you'll want to sit down and have a drink while we talk it over," said Tori.  "C'mon.  I have some beer stashed in the basement's fridge."

Detouring to the living room to grab the port and their glasses, Tori and Loki led the way down to the basement.  It was a finished living space with a bathroom and bedroom of its own, as well as an efficiency kitchen and laundry area.  Arranging themselves on the worn but still comfy furniture, Thor and Clint began to share what they had learned from Dr. Childress.

"Shortly after Lorelei escaped from the dungeons on Asgard, with the aid of her sister, she began forming an army here on Midgard," Thor said.  "Naturally, this caught Hydra's attention."

Clint raised his hand like a student in class.  "Um, excuse me?  How does a woman who just broke out of prison on an alien world start forming an army here?  No offense, Loki, but you had to bring an army with you."

Loki rolled his eyes, "Yes.  Thank you for reminding everyone why I am here, Agent Barton."

"Asshole commentary aside," Tori glared at Clint, "he has a point.  Did she just sort of show up and start amassing followers with her good looks and sparkling personality?"

"More or less, Vittoria," Loki answered.  "Lorelei is quite persuasive to men.  One of the aspects of her sorcery is that she can make almost any man her thrall, to mindlessly do her bidding.  Even to the point of losing any sense of self-preservation and forfeiting his own life in the process."

Tori asked, "What do you mean, 'almost?'"

"Well, sorcerers that are stronger than her can resist her.  Once, I was able to devise a spell that help others ward off the effects of her magic.  She has since figured out how to counter that."

"I can see why Hydra would want her on their side," Tori said thoughtfully.  "What's in it for her?"

"An arsenal of alien technology for her army," Thor replied.  "Hydra has been using weapons they scavenged from New York to develop their own weaponry.  They even began experimenting on the Chitauri themselves, using the remains of the soldiers that fell during the battle.  That is what Dr. Childress has been doing."

"So what are we talking about?  Reanimated corpses or Chitauri hybrids?  Are we really going to have to go Resident Evil on their asses?"

Loki looked at Tori, mildly amused at her questions, "Knowing Lorelei, we have to deal with both.  Between Childress' experiments and the sorcery at her disposal, there is no telling what we may encounter."

Tori turned to Loki, "Thor had mentioned a portal.  Is there any idea of where this portal leads, and more importantly, what it has to do with her kidnapping you?"

"If Lorelei was attempting to create a portal on her own, she would need another just as powerful as she to help keep it stable.  She would also need to construct a channeling device of specific materials and in a location conducive to the magic required.  It could be the intersection of ley lines.  It could be someplace on which powerful magic had been performed repeatedly.  Even a confluence of natural elements..." Loki's voice trailed off, the look on his face clearly indicating that he just had an epiphany.

Tori grinned at him, "You know where she's building it."

Mirroring her grin, Loki replied, "I know where she's building it."

 


	16. Goin' out with a Bang

Nonna was mildly surprised to see the Asgardians back at her house when she came back from bingo.  "Of course you can all stay here," she said as she was greeted enthusiastically by Thor and the others.  "It might not be so comfortable, sleeping on the floor, but it will be better than sleeping outside on the ground."

Tori helped the older woman gather blankets and pillows for their impromptu guests.  Between the living room, the basement, and remaining bedrooms they were able to accommodate everyone.  It was roundly decided that Thor and Volstagg, being the loudest snorers, had to sleep in the basement.  Sif, Fandral, and Hogun stayed in the living room and Clint took the remaining spare room.  Tori was now laying awake in her bed, having trouble sleeping.  She tossed and turned, but her mind just wouldn't shut off.  Finally, she decided that sitting on the porch swing to get some fresh air and read for a bit would be better than what she was doing.

The house was quiet, save the soft snoring from its various occupants, as Tori padded down the stairs.  She had a blanket over her arm, a mug of tea in hand, and her book in the other as she quietly opened the back door.  She was easing the door shut when she heard a familiar voice in the dark say, "I am surprised that sleep has even evaded you tonight."

Tori started at the sound of Loki's voice from where she usually sat on the porch swing.  With mild annoyance, she answered him in a hushed voice.  "Do you always sneak up on people, or just me?"

"Vittoria, if anyone was sneaking around, it was you," Loki replied in a teasing tone.  There was only the faint glow of the street lamps on the other side of the house and the light of the half moon.  With no lights on, Tori assumed that he had just been sitting out here.  As she sat at the other end of the porch swing, Loki noted the book she placed on the table beside her, "If you would like to be undisturbed, I can go elsewhere."

"No, I'm alright.  I just figured that some fresh air and a good book would help me settle down.  Are you alright with me being here?"

Loki scoffed in response, "Of anyone in this house at present, you and your grandmother are the only ones whose company I can tolerate."

"Yeah.  I guess Thor and his friends sort of crashed the party, didn't they?"  Tori said as she curled up at her end of the porch swing and wrapped the blanket around her.

"Indeed," came his dry reply.

"Were you at least enjoying yourself before they arrived?"

The silence between them seemed to lay heavy over the porch.  Tori had not turned on any of the lights on the porch, so she could only just make out Loki's face in the wane light.  At length, he replied, "I was.  Very much.  I meant it when I said that you are talented and far too modest about it."

Tori was grateful for the dark, so Loki couldn't see how flushed her cheeks were...until he said, "Even in the dark, Vittoria, I know you well enough to know that you're blushing."

"Dammit!" she said as he laughed at her reaction.  "How did you know?"

Loki was still laughing to himself when he said "Because I can feel the increase in body temperature from here.  You are very expressive, Vittoria.  There's not much that you can hide from me."

"I wish I could say the same for you, Mischief.  It's hard to get a read on you, sometimes.  Even then, I know that you wouldn't be out here just expecting to run into me.  What's bothering you?"

Loki shifted in the swing so that he now faced Tori as he spoke.  "I did not see much while I was being held in that mine by Lorelei and her new minions.  What I did see, however, was disturbing enough."

"What did you see?"

"Wreckage from the Chitauri army: weapons, vehicles, bodies," Tori wrinkled her nose at that, "Not just Chitauri, though.  Human remains that seemed...different.  Missing limbs or horrifically scarred.  If they are indeed building an army and a portal, it will be to conquer more than Midgard."

"Then why would Lorelei be screwing around here?  There are other places where she could raise an army, right?"

"True, but none of those places have me.  Or the Mind Stone."  Loki let his words sink in before he continued.  "As for Lorelei's motives,  _she_ does not want to conquer the Nine Realms, but she is most likely working for one who does."

"Who is she working for?"  Tori knew that if it was someone strong enough to keep Loki up at night, it was no one she wanted to see anytime soon.  The haunted look on Loki's face did nothing to alleviate her fears.

He looked at her with doleful eyes and answered, "The same being responsible for sending me to Midgard with the Chitauri."

Tori had only heard in passing about this other creature, nothing more than whispers and hushed tones from the Avengers and rumors from anyone else.  There had even been a theory, though officially rejected by SHIELD, that Loki had not been working alone or of his own accord when he attacked New York.  These days, though, Tori was questioning the wisdom of the official party line.  What Loki had just said only confirmed her thinking.  The fact that he was worried and would not even name the creature was enough to set Tori on edge.  "So, aside from dealing with this creature's underlings and guns-for-hire, what else can we do?"

"Make sure that the Infinity Stones in our control remain so," he answered with determination.

"Okay, you're going to have to fill me in.  I know what the Mind Stone is because Vision has it embedded in his forehead.  What are Infinity Stones and how many do we have?"

"Norns, woman!  Don't they tell you anything?  After all, you're supposed to be one of them." Tori could hear and feel the exasperation coming from his end of the porch swing.  She went to shove him with her bare right foot, but he caught her by the ankle.  Tori struggled to free her foot from his grip, but Loki ran a finger up the bottom of her foot.  Upon seeing Tori squirm, Loki grinned wickedly.  "Are your feet ticklish, Vittoria?"

"No, you wouldn't!" she exclaimed.  Loki could see the whites of Tori's eyes in the low light, as they widen in horror at his discovery.  She began to leverage herself against his thigh with her other foot to break free.  Her struggles were in vain; Loki started tickling Tori's foot in earnest.  Between her cackling laughter and gasps for air, Tori was pleading with Loki to stop.

"Please, Loki, no more!"

""More,' you say?  Certainly!" he had somehow switch feet and was now tickling her left foot.  Tori's right foot was pinned behind Loki's back, against the backrest on the swing.  While Tori was partially covered with the blanket, her t-shirt rode up her sides as she wriggled to get away, leaving her midriff exposed.  They were in this position when the screen door of the back porch flew open.  The sudden noise startled Tori and has she turned to see who had come through the door, she fell off the edge of the swing and landed with a hard thud.  Loki tried to catch her but ended up falling from the swing himself.

The two of them were in a heap on the porch.  Tori was on her back, craning her neck to look at the world upside down at Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three.  Loki, meanwhile, had landed on top of Tori and was tangled in her legs.  Her breasts had only just kept her shirt from riding up any higher, but her blanket had come off. She could feel the bare skin of Loki's torso pressed against hers.  That, and having him land right between her legs was not doing anything to help her.  At all.

The expressions of the four Asgardians standing outside the door were a mixed bag.  Thor and Volstagg looked amused to catch Loki in a compromising position.  Sif looked disgusted at both of them.  Fandral was stunned but would not stop staring at Tori.  Hogun was stoic, as always.  It took a beat for either Tori or Loki to realize just how they looked.  Once he did, though, Loki was on his feet and helping Tori right herself.  Her shirt hung crooked on her shoulders, but at least she was now covered.

"I would really like to hear the explanation for this," Sif said as she glared at both Tori and Loki.

Loki leered at Sif, "Jealous, are we?  Vittoria is quite a charming companion, in addition to being my keeper while I am a guest in this realm.  There are so many ways in which she makes my sentence more tolerable.  You would be surprise to kn-"

"We were just horsing around, you guys.  Things got a little out of hand when Loki figured out my feet are ticklish," Tori interrupted him.  The porch lights were on now, so Loki clearly saw her turn to him and mouth " _You horse's ass_."

The group assembled on the porch, while mostly amused by the situation, seemed irritated that their sleep had been disturbed by Loki and his mortal handler.  No one was more annoyed than Lady Sif.  "Tomorrow promises to be an eventful day.  I suggest that you get your sleep, Agent Scarpetti."

"Will do, Sif.  I'm heading back inside right behind you guys," Tori said with mocking deference to the shieldmaiden.  They all filed back into the house, leaving Loki and Tori on the porch.  While Tori was gathering her things, she groused.

"Tomorrow promises to be an eventful day," she mimicked Sif's mincing tone and mannerisms before she continued.  "Pfft, who does she think she's fooling?  I'm in charge of watching the God of Mischief and Bullshit.  Every day is an event."

Loki chuckled at this, a sound that resonated from deep in his chest and was certain to make Tori weak in the knees, no matter how many times she heard it.  "I don't know which was worse, your impersonation of Sif or butchering my title.  You are correct about one thing, Vittoria.  Every day with me is an event."

"Thanks a lot, troublemaker."

Holding the door open and gesturing for her to enter, Loki smiled "Good night to you, too, Vittoria.  Sleep well."

* * *

The next morning, Nonna was frantically working to turn out waffles faster than Thor, Volstagg, and Loki could eat them.  The old woman started cursing under her breath at the thought of making a third batch of batter when Tori stood from her place at the table.  "Don't worry, Nonna.  I've got this.  You go sit down, and I'll keep making waffles."

"Thank you, _bella_.  The weather is starting to change and my arthritis is starting to act up."

Tori took the bowl and whisk from her grandmother and started adding the ingredients to make the batter.  Clint entered the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and some breakfast.  "Hey, Scarpetti!  What was all the noise outside last night?"

It hadn't occurred to Tori that Clint didn't come out with everyone else.  She gave him a condensed version of events, leaving out the fact that it looked like she and Loki had been acting like horny teenagers sneaking around together.  Still, he scowled at her story.  When she was done, he didn't say anything immediately.  Tori could tell that he was trying to be careful with his choice of words.  "Look, I know that you two have been working together and seem to have gotten closer.  That's not uncommon.  Just remember who he is and who you are, alright?"

Tori wouldn't look Clint in the eye as she replied, "Yeah, I know.  We're teammates.  Partners.  We can be friendly, but not too friendly.  I get it."

"No, Tori.  That's not what I mean."

Closing the waffle iron with a slam, Tori now locked eyes with Clint.  "What do you mean, Agent Barton?"

"You need to remember that you're a SHIELD agent and that this guy tried to take over the world, Tori!  You need to remember that lots of people, good people, died because of him.  He's here to try to make up for that, but all the community service in the universe isn't going to change what he did."

"The way I see it, Barton, we're all screwed if we are to be judged only by our pasts.  I know that you've done things that you regret, rotten things, without being mind-controlled.  No one comes to SHIELD with a lily-white past.  Except for maybe Capt. Rogers, but that's because the man was on ice for 70 years.  How can Loki make amends for what he did if we refuse to give him the chance?"

Clint loaded up his plate and huffed out of the room just as Thor was making his third run at the waffles.  The look on his face told her that he had overheard Tori and Clint arguing.

"Agent Scarpetti, I am sorry if your assignment puts you at odds with others."

Tori snorted, "What?  Him?  Don't sweat it, big guy.  I get that Clint is still touchy about Loki being here.  If I'd had someone in my head, controlling me, I'd probably want to kill him too.  But your brother has been a good partner to me.  Moodier than a fifteen year-old at times, but he still has my back.  Even if he does bitch about it."

Thor smiled at this.  "I have often feared that I am the only one who sees any hope of redemption for my brother.  I am glad to know that I am not alone."

"That reminds me," Tori said as she opened a cupboard to grab a box of Clif bars and began shoving some into her purse.  Thor looked puzzled.  Tori said with a smirk, "Remember when he got all pissed off our first day?  I'm bringing some snacks for him.  I'm not in a mood to deal with a cranky Norse god today.  A cranky archer is bad enough."

Without warning, Thor and Tori heard a blood-curling scream from the dining room.  Neither one of them recognized who could have produced such a sound, but nonetheless barreled down the hallway.  As they burst into the room, the sight that greeted them would have made Tori laugh hysterically if not for the adrenaline rushing through her bloodstream.  Clint was standing on his chair in wide-eyed fear, butter knife in hand, wildly slashing at the air.  He stopped when he saw Tori and Thor standing in the doorway.  Loki was on the floor, writhing in pain but alternating grimacing and laughing.  Nonna was aghast and could only manage to look from Clint to Loki.  The Asgardians just looked annoyed.

Tori, who was armed with a chef's knife in one hand and a cleaver in the other, slammed the cutlery on the table.  "Do I even want to know what happened?"

Volstagg was the first one to speak.  "Agent Barton said something that Loki did not particularly care to hear.  To even the score, Loki conjured some illusion that only Agent Barton could see.  Whatever it was must have frightened him terribly.  His breakfast is now on the floor."  Tori follow Volstagg's sad gaze to the floor next to Clint's chair.  Sure enough, his plate had landed upside down.  Syrup was oozing from beneath the edges of the plate, creeping along the floorboards.

"Because Loki can only use his powers to aid others or protect himself, he was punished for his latest trick," Sif said with smug satisfaction.

Loki no longer appeared to be in pain, but he was still laying on the floor and breathing heavier than normal.  Tori walked over and offered him a hand up, "And you.  I hope that it was worth it."

He took her hand with a sly grin.  "Absolutely," Loki replied with a wink.

Tori rolled her eyes as she dumped him into his chair, "I would dearly love to know what Clint said to make you retaliate, even if it meant inflicting pain upon yourself."

The awfully talkative Asgardians were suspiciously quiet.  Clint, who had climbed down from the chair, just sheepishly stared at the farm animal salt and pepper shakers in the middle of the table.  Loki, in an uncharacteristic move, was also avoiding eye contact with Tori.  It was Nonna, who had gotten over the shock of witnessing Clint's meltdown and Loki's attitude adjustment by Asgardian magic, that broke the silence.  "Oh leave him be, Vittoria.  Can't you see that he's sorry for causing the young man to have such a fit at the table?"

The look on Nonna's face clearly told Loki that he had better play along because she was trying to bail him out.  Loki was no fool; he took the hint and quickly agreed.  "Yes, I am sorry.  Agent Barton, I will refrain from causing you further discomfort.  Shall we put aside our differences?"

Clint scowled as he looked from Tori to Loki.  He obviously didn't want to bury the hatchet just yet, but he was also not about to make a _total_ jackass of himself.  "Fine.  Let's move out.  The sooner we can find this portal, the sooner we can you and Tori back to SHIELD."

* * *

Breakfast finished and cleared away, everyone began to trek down to the river.  En route, Loki explained to Tori where he believed Lorelei and Hydra would be building their portal.  "Water is an element which already lends itself to magical properties.  Moving water, especially.  To have two streams join together to form one, more powerful stream would allow for energy to build over time and sustain itself."

"So what you're telling me is that there may be something to home field advantage for my sports teams?"

Loki rolled his eyes, "Yes, Vittoria.   _That_ is the important takeaway here.  I am glad that you have been paying attention."

"Did you sprain your eyeballs when you rolled them like that?  I'm totally messing with you.  If you're looking for a confluence around here, The Point is where we're headed.  The question is: where would they hide it?"

"That," Loki said with a grin, "is something that I can answer once we get there."

The group had crossed the river and was now walking along the shore.  It was mid-morning on a Thursday, so aside from the occasional jogger or cyclist they were the only ones on the trail.  Tori noted that Clint seemed to purposefully hang back behind the Asgardians.  Continuing to sweep the riverbank and the path ahead of them with her eyes, Tori asked, "So, what did Clint say to piss you off this morning?"

"I'd rather not discuss it, Vittoria," Loki crossly replied.

"Okay, okay.  Can I ask why he wigged out at the table?"

Loki smirked.  Of course he was more than happy to discuss someone else's embarrassment.  "Agent Barton has a few...idiosyncrasies.  One of which is his fear of snakes.  So, I created an illusion that his plate full of waffles had become a squirming plate of adders.  Who knew that the infamous Hawkeye could raise his voice to such a pitch?"

Tori snorted but quickly tried to adopt a stern look... and failed.  "That's just not right, Loki."

He looked at down at her in amusement.  "Perhaps not, but you find it funny.  Look at you!  You can not keep a straight face to save your life."

Loki was right.  The harder she tried to hide her smile, the bigger the grin on Loki's face got.  Tori burst out laughing when she couldn't hold it in anymore.  Without realizing it, she leaned on Loki as she continued laughing with her forehead resting on his shoulder and one hand landing on his forearm.  Tori caught her breath, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.  From behind her, Tori heard someone clear his throat.  She looked over her shoulder to see Clint cast a disapproving look at her and Loki.

Composing herself, but still chuckling a bit, Tori pointed out that they were officially in the park.  With the beginning of fall came the end of baseball season, the beginning of football season, and a few more concerts and festivals at the park.  As luck would have it, the Pirates had earned a spot in the wild card race against the Reds.  The ballpark would be jam-packed, but everyone in the city without tickets would be crowded into bars, restaurants, and generally anywhere with a TV screen to watch the series.  It was no surprise, then, for Tori to see several giant screens being erected in the grassy space between the fountain at The Point and the Reflecting Pool in preparation for tomorrow's game.  Loki, however, seemed to perk up as he began to head for higher ground.

Tori looked back at the others before following Loki.  His long stride causing her to practically jog to keep up with him.  "Hey!  Do you mind cluing me in to what you see, Mischief?"

"Do I have to carry you?  Keep up, Vittoria!"

"Look, Daddy Long-Legs, the vertically-challenged have a hard enough time keeping pace without you being a man on a mission," Tori was jogging now and mentally cursing her shorter stature.  She wasn't a midget but certainly not Asgardian height; even Sif was almost a head taller than her.  Said woman was quickly catching up with her and Loki, along with the rest of the group.

With beleaguer sigh, Loki marginally slowed his pace.  He stopped when he reached the top of the knoll, pointing to the screens.  "There.  That is what I'm looking at.  Notice anything?"

Tori looked out over the park.  She saw the screens were placed around the park, five total.  In between were various booths and light plants with their own generators.  It didn't look to be anything out of the ordinary.  Since the game would most likely go into the evening hours, lights had to be brought in to the park for the anticipated crowds.  In the dead center of it all appeared to be some sort of central generator to power the screens.  However, it looked like something belonging more to SHIELD or Stark than something belonging to an event promoter...

"Hey, folks.  We're going to have to ask you to move along.  This part of the park is closed to the public while we set up for tomorrow," a uniformed man said has he walked up to them from the opposite side of the hill.  Two other men and a woman wearing private security guard uniforms also approached them.  The woman appeared to be a bit nervous and kept her thumb on the holster strap of her sidearm.

"Since when are event security guards allowed to open-carry in a state park?" asked Tori in reference to the armed woman.

The woman sneered at this, "Who wants to know?  Are you a park ranger?"

Tori gave her a condescending smirk in return, "Oh, hun.  I take in more territory than that."

Loki was momentarily taken off-guard by Tori retort; as he saw the uncertainty flash across the woman's face, he realized that Tori was pushing to see which guard she could goad easily.  As she and the other woman exchanged words, the three men had fanned out and began...glowing?  " _What devilry is this?_ " Loki thought as he saw one of the men remove a metal baton from his side.  The baton started to glow red-hot as he raised it to take a swing at Tori.

"Vittoria!  Watch out!" he shouted as he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her behind him.  The baton narrowly missed her head, but he caught a whiff of singed hair.

"That bastard burnt my hair!" Tori shouted as she frantically patted down her head to make sure that the rest wouldn't catch on fire.

The man prepared to take another swing, this time at Loki, but the God of Mischief was ready for him.  Raising his hand nonchalantly, Loki tilted his head to the side with an amused look as the baton heated even further and melted in the man's hand.  The man's screams and the odor of burning flesh filled the air as molten metal dripped from the man's hand and onto the ground.  Molten droplets sizzled to extinction as they made contact with the moist grass underfoot.  The man's hand was now little more than a stump as he continued to glow even brighter.

The commotion caused by Loki bought the rest of the team enough time to spring into action.  Thor threw Mjolnir at the woman, who had now drawn her weapon and had it trained on Tori.  Tori turned in time to see one of the men charging her.  She pulled her dagger from the top of her boot and grabbed ahold of his wrist.  She stabbed his armpit and twisted the blade to ensure that she cut the artery before stabbing him again, just above his sternum.  He, too, began glowing brighter.  The dagger became too hot for Tori to hold as she released it with a cry.  Loki turn his attention back to her and grabbed her by the waist to carry her away.  Volstagg began fighting the with the man closest to him, who was shorter but no less broad.  With a bellow, he swung his axe at the man.  Volstagg's eyes widen in surprise as the man caught the blade between his palms.  The metal began to glow with heat, but being uru, would not melt.  The man, however, was grinning fiendishly as flames began to lap his skin.  Tori's mind began to register what was happening.  " _Oh shit..._ "

"Everyone, take cover!  Now!" Tori shouted as she tugged at Loki's arm and leapt behind a block wall that was part of an elaborate water feature nearby.  Volstagg was rousted from his shock and pulled his axe away from the blazing figure in front of him.  The others had fled with Tori, with Loki bringing up the rear.  He grabbed Volstagg by the collar and tugged him over the wall just as he heard a massive explosion.  The concussion wave pushed Volstagg the rest of the way over the wall, where he landed with a heavy thud and broke the concrete below him.  Even in the shelter solid concrete and cinderblock, they could feel the heat radiate from the blast.  When the heat subsided, Clint and Thor slowly emerge from behind the wall with Sif and the Warriors Three right behind them.

Loki inspected the palms of Tori's hands, which were beyond blistering and now weeping and raw.  He shook his head as he gingerly ran his cooled fingertips over the burns.  "What is it about you playing with fire, Vittoria?"

"I must be a pyromaniac," she replied sassily before wincing at a particularly deep part of her burns that Loki was healing.  "Can you do anything to save my hair?"

Loki looked up at the left side of her head, where the super-heated baton has swiped at her.  Part of her hair was singed black, about even with her jaw.  "Aside from recommending that you get a haircut?  No.  I can create an illusion to mask the burn, but I cannot do anything for the smell.  Which is terrible, by the way."

"Gee.  Thanks, partner."

Loki got a good chuckle out her current state but quickly turned somber as he asked, "How did you know that they could turn themselves into bombs?"

"When I was in the Navy, serving overseas, there were a lot of men and women sent home wounded or disabled to the point that they were willing to do anything to regain their normal lives.  And I do mean anything.  There were rumors of a program that was willing to take combat vets and give them fully functional prosthetic replacement limbs and skin grafts to the point were one would not be able to tell where their natural limb (or limbs) ended and the prosthesis began.

"However, there was a problem with the process.  People started disappearing or dying left and right, and not in a subtle way.  Vets who had otherwise been cleared for discharge and were by all accounts seeking help for survivor's guilt or PTSD suddenly seemed to become suicide bombers.  At first, the folks in charge tried to say that they had been radicalized and were now enemies of the state.  It all turned out to be huge cover-up."  By this time, tears had started to prick Tori's eyes, and she was blinking furiously to keep them from falling.

Loki had listened attentively while tending her injuries.  The others, meanwhile, came back when they found no remains of the four guards other than one black scorch mark where the woman had been.  "How do you know so much of this?" Loki asked quietly.

"Because one of the women who vanished was my best friend from high school...and one of the first people to uncover it was my younger brother."

The group was silent, but Tori could feel the shock at this revelation.  Loki had long since finished healing Tori's hands, but he still held them in his own as he broke the silence, "Where is your brother now?"

Tori's eyes were hardened with anger, which caused Loki to rear back a bit.  "He's doing time in a maximum security facility.  Because he was a member of the military and used methods just the other side of legal to uncover what was happening, he was courtmartialed."

The anger gave way to determination as she continued, "If anyone can tell us what we need to know about those experiments, Charlie can."

"Now wait just a minute, Tori."  Clint stepped closer and looked her square in the eye.  "If you're talking about Extremis, Tony helped SHIELD compile all the data from AIM and from Killian's private servers.  He also help developed a cure for it.  What would your brother have that we don't have already?"

Tori's eyes squinted slightly as if she was trying to weigh how much Clint knew against how much she trusted him.  Her gaze flicked back to Loki, wordlessly asking him what he thought.  While Loki couldn't read her mind, the question was an obvious one.  He shrugged and said, "It's up to you.  I don't think that Agent Barton bears any ill-will toward you or your brother."

She returned her gaze to Clint and said, "He would have everything that Killian and his accomplices had wiped from existence prior to Charlie's trial, including the other experiments.  Why do you think Charlie went down?  They didn't just bury the evidence.  They obliterated it.  The only thing that has kept Charlie alive all this time is that he still has that information."

"Wouldn't they kill him to silence him?" Clint asked incredulously.

Tori shook her head.  "Not necessarily.  Charlie made it very clear that if he were to die in prison, even of 'natural causes,'" she used air quotes, "that he would release a data dump to some very high-profile and vocal individuals.  Good luck putting that genie back in the bottle.  He always swore that turning vets into walking time bombs was just the tip of the iceberg."

Turning to the rest of the group, Tori said, "If Hydra has found a way to use Extremis _and_  Chitauri DNA, we are in some deep shit."

"What are we waiting for, Vittoria?  It sounds like we need to plan a prison break."

Loki looked a little too cheerful at the prospect.  It made everyone but Tori uncomfortable.  Tori cocked an eyebrow as she evaluated his current mood.  "Why do I have a feeling that you've been itching to do something like this?"

"Must you really ask?  Breaking the law, causing mayhem, _and_  getting some revenge: Vittoria, this is my specialty.  Honestly, it's as if you do not know me at all."


	17. Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap

"If we're going to do this, I may need to call in a few favors," Tori said.

Clint look at her skeptically, "That all depends. Where he's being held?"

"ADX Florence."

Clint paled slightly before he raising his voice, "That's not just maximum security, Tori! That's a supermax prison! The kind of place they send terrorists, double agents, and kingpins...and you want us to break him out?"

"Well, unless we can find a way to get Charlie out in the open, I doubt we have any choice but to break him out," Tori matched him in tone and volume.

"Actually, Vittoria, that is not a bad idea," Loki said as he rubbed his chin. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared off in the distance and spoke to himself, "Yes. That should work nicely."

Loki turned to Tori and Clint. "Would SHIELD, by chance, be able to request a prison transfer? Obviously not as SHIELD, but posing as a government agency?"

Tori and Clint looked at each other. The light bulb came on for Tori; she started grinning from ear to ear. Clint caught on right after, but was disturbed by the look on the agent's face. "Tori, you have been spending way too much time with Loki. You're even starting to act like him."

Loki grimaced at the intended insult, but Tori continued grinning in a slightly disturbing fashion. "I'll take that as a compliment, Clint."

After running through a few scenarios to maximize Charlie's exposure, they narrowed it down to two prisons for which they could request a transfer: the US Disciplinary Barracks at Leavenworth and the Federal penitentiary in Tucson. Anywhere else would require additional red-tape and possible air travel; their greatest chance at success involved keeping Charlie on the ground as much as possible...and away from large population centers while en route. A rough plan in place, they agreed to work out the rest with the other Avengers. They now turned their attention to the suspicious-looking piece of technology in the middle of Point Park.

Armed with several field instruments, Tori and Clint began transmitting data to Tony and Bruce. They were picking up some wild interference coming from the generator. Tori expected to see some radiation. She didn't expect to see what looked like long-wave radio signals, sent at regular intervals. What they gathered scientifically, Loki was able to confirm on his own...and then some.

"What we see before us is not the entire power source," Loki said as he examined it, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Tori had been following Loki around the device, snapping pictures with her phone.  She looked up from the screen with raised eyebrows, "Okay...how much bigger is this thing going to get before it becomes obvious that it's not meant to just electrify the equipment being used tomorrow night?"

Loki shook his head as he said, "This is the apparatus to house everything, but it has neither been fully energized nor is it stable enough to run.  The readings that you and Barton have gathered are from the device on standby."

Tori contemplated his words; if this thing was throwing off that much radiation and electrical interference on standby, she could only imagine its effects once it was operating.  Which gave her an idea, as they walked away from the device to join the others.

"Hey!  What about fighting fire with fire?"

Loki cocked an eyebrow, "Go on."

"We have the technology to knock out power grids and communications for entire metropolitan areas with a electromagnetic pulse.  No loss of life or damage to infrastructure, just forcing people to rough it for a few days without power.  What if we condensed it so that it just knocked those things out for a much shorter distance?"

He understood what she was getting at, and the gears began to turn.  "Whatever we use will still need to have the same magnitude as the larger weapon you have described.  We may not be able to reduce the affected area, but given the alternative, I'd say a few days without power is a small price to pay."

Clearly, this was a job for the Science Bros and their brain trust.  As luck would have it, Tori's phone began to ring; "It's Not Easy Being Green" played and a picture of Bruce appeared on the screen.  She answered and put it on speaker phone, "Hey, Bruce!  Did you get everything you and Tony need?"

"Hey, Tori.  Yeah, you and Clint did a great job.  Thanks for the photos, too.  Is there anything that the instruments can't measure that you can tell us?"  Bruce was referring to any magical properties, but Tony had a rager against use of the "M word."  It was a constant source of conflict between him and Loki (and Thor, to a certain extent) but an endless source of amusement to Tori.  Right now, she needed some amusement.

"The man to answer your question is standing right here.  Mischief, Dr. Banner wants to know about any magical properties you have found."

Tori and Loki heard Tony shouting in the background, "Magic isn't real, goddammit!"

"Oh really, Anthony?  Please explain how it is that your entire wardrobe took on a color palette more befitting a five year girl obsessed with unicorns and glitter, but only when you actually touched the clothing."  Loki was practically thrumming with glee as he described one of his earliest pranks on Tony Stark.

"I'm...I'm...I'm still working on that!  There is a logical explanation for it.  Somewhere," replied a flustered Tony.

Loki watched as Tori bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing.  Her face was flushed and tears started to form at the corners of her eyes as she remember the week that Tony Stark got stuck wearing noxious, shiny pastels that would make even Lisa Frank cringe.  Encouraged by her reaction, Loki's grin got wider as he smoothly replied, "Of course there is, Anthony.  However, your feeble Midgardian brain lacks the capacity for such understanding.  For a man of science, you are surprisingly myopic."

Tony continued to sputter in the background as Bruce and Loki continued their conversation.  Occasionally, Tori would catch the words "Queen Elsa" and "Frosty."  A patch of skin under Loki's left eye twitched whenever one of these utterances came through the speaker.  Tori also noticed the cuffs he wore would slowly become shiner as his agitation grew.  When this happened, Loki would close his eyes and inhale deeply, calming himself and getting the cuffs to go back to their normal sheen.

" _The poor guy can't even retaliate when people are being assholes to him_ ," Tori thought sadly.  " _There has to be a work-around to that..._ "

"Vittoria, what of your idea to disable the portal's power source?"

"Oh, right," said Tori.  "Bruce, is there any way that we can cause an EMP with the same magnitude as a military-grade device with a smaller impact radius?"

Tori could almost hear the head-scratch in Bruce's voice, "Not really, Tori.  The pulse will travel through air or water based on its magnitude.  The only way to contain the pulse is if you had a physical barrier of some sort.  Even then, the material needs to absorb that kind of wave energy."

Her face lit up.  "Hey!  If Tony's done pouting, ask him how big he could build another version of Veronica?"

"Who, or what, is Veronica?" Loki asked.

Tori briefly explained that Tony had built a containment for the Hulk that can be deployed anywhere on the planet, just in case things got out of hand.  She and Clint had scanned the portal device already; using that data, Tony had worked up a 3D model of it.

"Boop, I can build it.  No sweat.  Where are you going to find me enough vibranium to do it?"

Tori shook her head with a smirk, "I know SHIELD doesn't have an evidence lock-up, per se, but didn't we get a whole bunch of it when you guys captured that ship on Lake Superior?  And quit calling me Boop!"

She could hear Tony and Bruce having a side conversation through the speaker, then Tony's voice perked up.  "That ship had just enough to it.  Just enough.  There won't be any scrap left when I'm done.  I might even have to scrap a suit or two to make it work."

Tori rolled her eyes, "You can salvage and replace a suits when we're done, Tony.  Just make it happen."

"I have a question for you," said Bruce.  "This is going to be too heavy for the helicarrier or even a missile to take as a payload.  How are we going to move it?"

Bruce had a point.  The containment would be fully assembled and it wasn't like they could bring it in piecemeal.  Tori snorted at the mental image of telling Lorelei and her Hydra accomplices to hang on a minute while they put their shit together.  Loki looked at her inquisitively, but she shook her head with a promise to explain later.  Her gaze now drifted to the Asgardians, all towering over Clint as they talked amongst themselves.

"Hey, Loki.  How does Asgard move large numbers of troops from one place to another?  I mean from one realm to the next."

"The same way individuals are transported: with the Bifrost."

"How big of an object can the Bifrost move?"

Loki's eyes lit up.  It would work, of course, but Heimdall would be greatly irritated by the inconvenience it all.  The plan was perfect.  "I like this line of thinking, Vittoria, but who is going to coordinate this effort?  Neither your nor I have the ability to do so."

"So?  Have your brother talk to Heineken or whatever his name is."

The volume of Loki's cackling made everyone jump, including Tori.  He was positively convulsive at Tori mistakenly calling the Gatekeeper of Asgard after a brand of weak Midgardian beer.  As he recovered from his fit of laughter, he resolved to refer to the Watcher as such from now on.  He didn't even bother to correct Tori, just so he would have the pleasure of hearing her call him "Heineken" every time they spoke of him.

Thor closed his eyes and shook his head, even as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.  "Brother, I cannot go to Asgard to speak to Heimdall.  However, someone else may go in my stead.  It will be a short trip, but we must hurry."

"Certainly," replied Fandral.  "If our business is finished here, let us away.  We must return Vittoria and her charge to safety.  Then I will go speak with Heimdall about this plan."

Tori wrapped up the call and the group began their walk back to the other side of the river.

"This is...odd," he said once Tori said goodbye to Tony and Bruce.

"When you say something is 'odd,' I take it to really mean 'batshit crazy,'" Tori replied. "What's giving you trouble?"

"I understand Lorelei wanting to make a big splash when she opens the portal. I understand that she needs an enormous amount of energy to do so. What I do not yet understand is why she would run the risk of the device being discovered prematurely. Surely, she knows that with my escape and involvement that she would be found out sooner rather than later."

Tori shrugged, "Maybe she's getting sloppy? Over-confidence breeds complacency, and that sort of thing?"

"No," Loki shook his head. "That is definitely not Lorelei. When she wants to be undetected, she is undetected to everyone but me. She is playing some other game, and I intend to find it out."

"C'mon, Mischief.  Let's head back so we can contact the others."

They walked along in companionable silence, the God of Mischief and his mortal caretaker.  The others were a few yards behind them, just far enough to where Tori could hear the hum of conversation but not distinguish the words.  She gave Loki a sideways glance as she walked, noticing that he had slowed his normal pace to match hers.  He also looked to be deep in thought.  "Hey, are you alright?"

Loki blinked then looked down at her.  "Of course.  Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seemed to be off in your own little world.  Something else is bothering you, isn't it?"

Turning his head enough to see the others over his shoulder, Loki then sighed softly and continued on his way.  "I was just thinking about the events of the last couple of days.  Some things that were said and done, trying to assign meaning or importance to things that may or may not have any."

"Well," Tori said with a playful smirk, "could you be more vague?"

"I'm thinking about stuff," Loki deadpanned with a similar smirk.

"You ass," she replied, shoving her shoulder against him.

"You asked," Loki said with a playful shove of his own.

Soon, they were taking turns trying to shove each other off the trail.  Loki was holding back on using his full strength, but he still got her three to four feet off the trail each time.  If she caught him mid-stride, Tori could move Loki about a foot.  Of course, he was letting her shove him off the trail.  If he had wanted, he could've been as solid as a block wall.  They were both laughing and forgot about the others behind them until they heard Sif shout, "Really, you two?  How old are you?"

In unison, Loki and Tori shouted back, "Old enough!"

This made them laugh even more, since they had not planned that response.  Thor chuckled at seeing how his brother and Tori got along.  He glanced over a Clint, who had a dark scowl on his face.  "Is something amiss, Barton?"

Clint gave Thor a hard look and said, "Tori's a nice kid.  Big-hearted and a kid at heart, which makes her vulnerable.  She's like a little sister to a lot of us, and I don't want to see her get hurt."

Thor pursed his lips in a grim line as he turn from Clint to watch Loki and Tori, who were now walking shoulder-to-shoulder, heads together, thick as thieves.  Thor couldn't see their faces completely, but he periodically heard one or the other laugh.  Turning back to Clint, Thor said, "Nor do I, Barton.  Judging by his behavior, neither does my brother.  This is the first time that I have seen him get along with anyone in this realm."

"Agent Barton may have a point, Thor," Sif interjected.  "I know that you hope for your brother to change his ways, but he may have an undue influence on Agent Scarpetti.  Perhaps they should be separated for a time."

"While I thank you for you counsel, Sif, I believe that is the wrong course of action," Thor said with a stern countenance.  "They have finally gained each other's trust.  He looks after her, as she watches out for him.  In truth, finding Loki a handler was less about finding someone to control him as it was about finding him a companion."

"Whoa, now!" Clint actually stopped in the middle of the trail.  "You mean to tell me that you've been trying to set Loki up with Tori?  Like, as her boyfriend?!?"

Thor looked askance at Clint.  "No," he replied slowly.  "Loki needs a friend.  Someone who would treat him like anyone else.  I have tried to be a better brother and friend to him, but the hurt he feels from my past actions is still too deep.  He thinks any attempt I make is false.  Since he will not accept my friendship, it was my hope that he would accept it from another.  It now seems that he has."

"What happens if he wants more than friendship, Thor?"

"What do you mean?" Thor asked in a tone that suggested Clint choose his next words carefully.

"This morning, while you were in the kitchen with Tori, I upset Loki by telling him that he had better not get too attached to her because she could be reassigned at any time."

"He speaks the truth, Thor," said Fandral.  "Loki has always been skilled at feigning indifference, but as soon as Agent Barton even broached the subject of Vittoria's change in responsibilities taking her away, he became furious.  One could only imagine how Loki would act if it actually happens."

"I'm surprised that he didn't try to throttle Agent Barton right there at the table.  In front of Mistress Scarpetti, no less," Volstagg added with a shake of his head.

Thor fell silent for a moment before asking, "Is it true?  Could she be reassigned?"

Clint shrugged, "She's a field agent.  Anything's possible, Thor.  I think Fury likes the idea of a cooperative, better-behaved Loki.  However, if he thinks that Tori's been compromised, he will separate them.  She's too valuable an asset to lose."

Thor wouldn't look at Clint as he spoke.  Instead, he just watched his brother and the mortal continue their trek up the hill.  He saw Loki turn to look down at Tori; for the first time in ages, Thor saw the hardness around his brother's eyes melt.  Agent Barton had to be incorrect.  For Loki's sake, Thor hope he was.

* * *

While the others were busy discussing Loki and Tori, the two of them were busy hatching a plot of their own.

"So, I noticed that when you were talking to Bruce and Tony that these," Tori pointed at one of the cuffs, "started doing something, and you looked uncomfortable.  What was that?"

"Ah," replied Loki, "that was a gentle reminder that I cannot use my powers unless it is to defend myself from physical harm or help others.  At first, I only wore this," Loki gestured toward the torc.  "It prevented me from being a flight risk.  The cuffs were added later, when it became apparent that Thor's new friends were such easy targets for me."

"You can't even use your powers to pull a prank on someone?" Tori asked with a disgusted look on her face.  "That's dirty pool!"

"Agreed," he said with an equally disgusted look.  "The God of Mischief is prevented from causing mischief.  I assure you, the irony is almost too much for me."

"You can't use magic to cause mischief on your own.  What if you were helping someone?" Tori gave him a sly grin as she spoke.

Loki raised his eyebrows as he considered her point.  "Yes, I believe that you are correct.  So tell me, Vittoria, what do you have in mind?  I know it is not morbid curiosity that drives this line of questioning."

Tori kept on grinning, "Let's just say that it might come in handy.  Very soon.  First, we need to get my brother back here."

"We will not be able to hide him with your grandmother, Vittoria."

"Who said anything about him coming to Nonna's?  I have lots of places to hide a fugitive."

Loki smirked down at her, "Now this, I must see for myself."

"Don't worry, you will.  But first, I need you to make a phone call.  How good are you at impersonations?"

Loki continued to smirk, "I am excellent at impersonations.  However, if it requires shapeshifting, I am unable to do so.  It was one of the powers Odin saw fit to completely take from me."

"No shapeshifting required," replied Tori.  "You just need to impersonate this man's voice on a call.  Leave the rest to me."  Tori held out the screen of her phone to show him a video of the man identified as the Secretary of State.

"It would be my pleasure," he said with a chuckle.

* * *

Charles Scarpetti lived for that one hour a day that he was allowed to leave his cell.  In that one hour, he was allow to remember that he was a human being.  He could feel the sun on his face as he walked the yard in solitude.  If he chose, he could avail himself of the exercise equipment there; however, he often chose to simply walk or jog around the yard.  He could visit the prison's library, limited though it was, to select fresh reading material.  Charlie was a voracious reader, so even only three years into his eighty year sentence he had already consumed a third of the library's books.  He was now on a kick where he was studying the American Civil War, a subject on which there were no shortage of books.  He hefted several weighty tomes under his arm as the guard reminded him it was time to head back to his cell.

This was the part of the day that Charlie hated the most.  The hall seemed to lengthen with every step that he took back down the cell block.  He could not hear the heckling of the other inmates, but he could see them in his peripheral vision.  The harsh faces of terrorists, foreign and domestic, contorted with madness as they observed the young man.  They had been confined, but did not exist in a vacuum; they knew who he was and hoped to taunt him.  They knew of a brilliant military career, gone.  Of a record of service with distinction, erased by corrupt people more powerful than he.  Family and friends that he had not seen or heard from in three years.  It was the only time that Charlie had been grateful that there was no mixing and mingling with the other inmates.

His heavy footsteps finally brought him to the door of his cell.  The guard, who had been with him the whole hour, was still obliged to pat him down and check the books to ensure that no contraband had found its way to Charlie's hands.  Charlie sighed internally at the redundancies in place at ADX Florence.  It's not as though he had anyone on the outside with enough pull to break him out or bribe the corrections officers into showing him special treatment.  Once the guard was satisfied with his search, Charlie entered the cell.  The hiss-click of the steel door sealing into place always made Charlie's skin crawl.  For the next 23 hours, he would be entombed.  A food tray was deposited in the deep metal drawer next to the door three times daily.  No interaction with the outside world, beyond that one hour.  When he wasn't reading, sleeping, or doing body weight exercises in his cell, Charlie would sit and look at the handful of photos he had of his family.  He tried to imagine how much or how little they had each changed since he went away.  With an eighty year sentence, he knew that he'd never see his parents again.  Mostly likely his three oldest siblings would be gone, too.  Charlie himself would in all likelihood not survive his sentence; if he did, he'd be well over a hundred.

The solitude made it difficult for him to properly keep time.  Aside from the arrival of meals, there was no real way to measure it.  That is why, when Charlie lay on his cot immersed in McPherson's _Battle Cry of Freedom_ , he was startled to hear the cell door open and the footsteps of two guards entering.  "Charles Scarpetti: you are to come with us."

He warily set his book aside and rose from the cot.  Both men were no-necked, muscle-bound meatheads, their stony expressions making it clear that Charlie would not learn anything by asking questions.  The man on the right held out a set of manacles and leg irons.  Apparently, Charlie was going for a walk beyond the yard.  While his comings and goings were a source of amusement to the other inmates on a good day, there was an air of hysteria among them today.  " _What the hell is going on?_ " the young man asked himself as the guard punched the key code and underwent the retinal scan to unseal the doors leading to the administrative wing of the prison.

They led him into the warden's office.  Warden Walter Harris was not an imposing man, physically.  He stood about chest-level with Charlie, the top of his bald head reflecting the afternoon sunlight that shone between the partially opened blinds of windows overlooking the yard and the Arkansas River beyond.  This reflected light would have blinded Charlie if he had tried to look at the man.  The shorter man's coffee-colored eyes peered over the rim of the round glasses that had slid down the bridge of his nose, as he dismissed the guards from the room.  Charlie maintained his ram-rod straight posture and 10,000 mile stare as he felt the warden looking him over.  "Have a seat, Mr. Scarpetti," the older man drawled out in his thick Charlestonian accent.

Only when addressed directly did Charlie make eye contact with the man and slowly stepped around to the chair opposite the warden's massive throne-like seat behind the desk.  As soon as he was seated, the warden addressed him further.  "You appear to have friends in high places, Charles.  May I call you Charles?  At the very least, I have just received a call from the Secretary Ross.  There has been a change in your status.  At his direction, you are being transferred to Leavenworth.  There, you will be held at the disciplinary barracks.  You are to be kept in solitary but will be granted the privilege of quarterly family visitation."

Charlie was visibly stunned by this.  Who the hell got the Secretary of State to agree to this?  Especially a hard-ass like Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross.  The surprise evident on the prisoner's face, Warden Harris gave him a wry smile.  "Some form of gratitude is customary in these situations, Charles."

"Yes, of course.  Sir, I am beyond grateful, but wondering why."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, son.  Your belongings are being pack right now and you are to leave immediately by bus."

It didn't take long for Charlie's things to be packed.  He wasn't allowed to take much with him when he began his sentence, so it all fit into his drab green rucksack.  He boarded the bus as its only passenger.  Well, only convict passenger.  There were ten guards, plus the driver.  The bus would only stop for refueling and to change drivers until they reached their destination.  The bus lumbered down the highway toward Colorado Springs, the high desert landscape sliding by as he looked out the window at the setting sun.  It didn't take long for them to be on the open road; with no towns nearby, there wasn't much traffic on the rapidly darkening road.  The startled shout of the driver and sudden lurch forward woke Charlie from where he had been dozing in his seat.  The bus' unexpected stop caused a few of the guards to fall out of their seats.  Those who had kept their seats were on their feet, guns trained either on their prisoner or on some unseen threat outside.

The guards at the front of the bus exited, but soon shouts and cries of panic could be heard.  Charlie could not clearly see from his seat/cell on the bus, but the air became heavy with anticipation and dread as the other guards heard what was happening to their comrades.  The emergency exit door was torn off and a tall man with jet-black hair and pale skin stepped onto the bus through the opening.  With a wave of his hand, he disarmed and disabled the three guards that had stayed behind.  He tilted his head to the side as Charlie rose to his feet.

"Charles Scarpetti, I presume?"

"Yeah, who wants to know?"

"Charles, I would think that you would be happier at being broken out of prison.  Of course, if you prefer to stay..." the mystery man began to turn away when Charlie heard a woman's voice shout at him.

"Don't toy with him, Loki!  Just get Charlie out of there, would ya?"

Charlie peered around Loki to see his younger sister's head poking into the bus.  "Hey, Charlie.  You don't look terrible for a guy that's spent three years in the hole."

Loki walked over the door of the cage around the bench on which Charlie had been sitting.  Taking the bars in his hands, he parted them so that Charlie could pass between them.  "Come along, Charles.  We don't have all night," Loki said has he spun on his heel to hop out of the bus.  Charlie was too stunned to anything but get with the program and follow the guy that just  helped his sister bust him out of prison.


	18. I've Got Friends in Low Places

Nick Fury was getting ready to call it a night and get some sleep.  The Avengers had already briefed him on the situation with Loki's kidnapping and where he was currently in hiding.  While he didn't like the idea of Loki and Tori hiding amongst the civilian population, he also knew that whoever had kidnapped Loki wouldn't expect it.  They had found the device, now they were working on a way to destroy it.  They were cutting it a little close for Fury's comfort, but that seemed to be the name of the game where these threats were concerned.  Barton had not yet returned with the Asgardians, but they had been in communication with the rest of the team.

Fury needed to get this team back together in one spot. That weird little man, Dr. Childress, had not given up too much information beyond what he said about the portal.  However, any attempts to follow up his initial interrogation were met with him whistling.  Always whistling.  And always the same tune.  It was starting to drive everyone nuts...and it made Fury suspect that he was up to something.

One of the screens before him flashed with a breaking news alert on one of the 24-hour news channels.  Fury, as was his wont, stuck around to see what the media on this particular channel considered "breaking news."  Most of the time, breaking news to the rest of the world was yesterday's news, or older, to Nick Fury.  Most times, he'd sit back and have a good chuckle.

This? Was not one of those times.

The breaking story involved a prison transport driver hallucinating that he had seen a black dragon that breathed green flames "just like the one in that Sleeping Beauty movie" on an empty highway in eastern Colorado.  None of the guards were harmed beyond being knocked unconscious and couldn't remember a thing, not even how their weapons had been either broken in into pieces or turn into slag.  The only person missing from this strange occurrence was the lone prisoner on the bus: Charles Alphonse Scarpetti.  It was estimated to have happened at 19:45, Mountain Time.  Three hours ago.

Fury strode to the door and nearly ripped it off its hinges as he shouted down the hall.  "HILL!  Get me Barton!  And Scarpetti!"

A minute later, Maria Hill bustled into his office.  "Sir, Barton's comm is silent and the quinjet he took to Pittsburgh is on stealth mode.  I can't raise either him or Scarpetti."

Desperate times called for desperate measures, but he needed to save Tori from whatever stupidity she had committed with Loki's, and possibly Barton's, help.

"Get Romanov.  Tell her we are wheels up in five minutes."

* * *

It wasn't until they were on the jet that Charlie had enough presence of mind to grab his sister and give her a hug.  He buried his face in her shoulder; Tori felt her shirt getting damp as Charlie's tears fell. His shoulders began to shake and he quietly sobbed at the knowledge that he was free.  And that it was his sister who came for him.  He had gone into that hellhole, believing that he would never again breathe the free air.  The worst part of Charlie's sentence was never seeing his family again.  In there, he didn't need to be abused by guards to be tormented.

The others stood by, somewhat uncomfortably, as Tori tried to soothe her younger brother.  The height difference made it almost look comical: Charlie was almost as tall as Loki so he really was hunched over as Tori continued to hug him and pat him on the back.  Loki couldn't help but think back to the first time he had spoken to Tori on her own.  She seemed to be more sensitive to the notion of isolation than other agents.  She had cited her own experiences with it, but Loki had not been completely convinced she was telling the whole truth.  Now, it all made sense.

Once the man had collected himself, Charlie turned to face the others.  "I don't know any of you, but whoever you are, thank you for helping my sister...and me."

Thor stepped forward and clamped a hand on Charlie's slim shoulder.  "Your thanks are not necessary, Charlie.  The hard work has only begun.  For that, we will need your help."

"What's he talking about, Tori?"

"We have a way to clear your name and get your life back, Charlie.  To it, though, we need you to share the information that you have on Extremis."

Charlie barked out a laugh.  "You're a little too late on that one, Tori.  Tony Stark took all the glory there."

Tori gave her brother a look.  "You know what I mean, Charlie.  I'm talking about the other stuff.  The stuff that you threatened to release if anything happened to you."

Charlie sat down and look at each of the people assembled.  Clint was now in the hold, having put the jet on auto-pilot.  When Charlie's eyes fell on Clint, they narrowed slightly as he said, "How the hell did SHIELD get involved in this?  Does Tori know about your part in the cover-up?"

"Charlie," Tori interrupted, "I work for SHIELD.  I have been since you went away."

The shock on Charlie's face was evident.  His gaze turned venomous as he turned back to Clint.  "So, you recruited her?  Did you do it so you could always keep tabs on me?  Even though I was sent to a supermax prison?  Jesus Christ! Is there no end to the crooked shit you people will pull?"

"Whoa, Charlie!  Slow down!  What are you talking about?"  Tori was starting to get worried that her brother's time in solitary had begun to make him paranoid.

Charlie looked at his sister as if trying to gauge her trustworthiness.  It was a look that hurt Tori more than anything else, but the words that followed made her ill.  "When I couldn't get anywhere within the chain of command with my information on Killian's activities, I went to SHIELD.  I was assured that I would be protected from repercussions.  They said that they would step in on my behalf when the shit hit the fan.  When the shit well and truly hit the fan, I was left right in the middle of it with no backup.  SHIELD even went so far as to deny having ever met with me!"

By now, all eyes were on Clint.  Tori was too shocked and angry to say or do anything, but sit next to her brother and squeeze his hand as she trembled with rage.  Loki was torn between trying to keep her calm and wanting to fly straight back to SHIELD HQ so he could relieve Nick Fury of his vital organs.  Thor, oddly enough, was the one that had enough wits to respond.  "Is any of this true, Barton?"

To say that Clint looked ashamed was putting it lightly.  If it were possible for a man to physically diminish in size instantly, Clint had done it.  As he spoke, he would not make eye contact with either Tori or Charlie.  "What Charlie said is true.  SHIELD, in the interests of trying to infiltrate AIM and get their own hands on that tech, decided to sacrifice Charlie.  They figured that one Air Force Intelligence officer was a small price to pay.  The only problem with their plan was that they didn't anticipate that AIM was already on to the fact that someone had come to SHIELD with information.  By the time they got to it, Killian and his people had wiped out everything but the program that Stark discovered."

At last, he looked at younger SHIELD agent and her brother.  "SHIELD didn't anticipate that you, and only you, would have the last surviving copy of all that data."

Charlie leaned back in his seat, resting his head against the bulkhead, and closed his eyes.  "So now what?  I'm just supposed to hand over the one thing that has ensured my safety this entire time?  The only reason that Killian's people and Hydra haven't gotten to me was because they knew what an info dump like that would do to their operations.  When I heard about Killian's death, I thought I was as good as dead, too.  There must be more to it, if Hydra was still sparing my life."

Tori looked at her brother incredulously, "You don't know what is in the data that you found?"

Charlie cracked open an eye and looked down at his sister with a wry smile.  "I'm an intelligence officer, Tori.  Not a biochemist or a genetics engineer.  The tip-off was what I saw in the video footage."  Charlie visibly shuddered at the memory before saying, "You want to talk about shit that sticks with you?   _That_ was the stuff of nightmares."

"We will need that information, Charles.  The scientists who worked with this Killian are now allied with someone far worse.  They are using the same technology developed by Killian to build an army," Loki said quietly.

Charlie looked up at him.  "How is that possible?  Some of the footage I saw showed the test subjects all ultimately dying.  The combination of the virus and the alien DNA was too volatile."

"Where the subjects human or alien?  What genetic materials were they using?  Killian's death did not mean the end of their work."

Charlie's eyes widen as he realized what Loki was saying.  "If they did that, or found a different DNA source than the Chitauri blood they had been using, then who knows what they could do."

"Precisely.  That is why we need your help, Charles.  Vittoria can see to making sure that you remain safe, until the threat as passed and your name is restored."

Charlie now looked at his sister with amusement.  "Why doesn't he call you 'Tori?'  Doesn't he know that Nonna's the only one that calls you by your full name?"

Tori shot Loki a mildly annoyed look as she replied to her brother.  "He knows, but he said that he doesn't like it."

"So, you let him call you 'Vittoria?'  You must really - oof!"  Tori delivered a sharp elbow to his ribs, causing Charlie to break off mid-sentence.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stop right there," she muttered under her breath.

Rubbing his at where she had jabbed him, Charlie grinned at her.  "You and I have some catching up to do.  Later, though.  Right now, you have to figure out a place to stash me and a way to stop them from doing anymore damage."

"I'm way ahead of you, Charlie.  We're headed back to Pittsburgh, and I have just the place for you."

* * *

Tori told Clint to take them right back to her grandmother's neighborhood, landing in the park.  Once they were on the ground, Clint showed Charlie how to put the jet in stealth mode and lock it down so that it was secured from the inside.  Tori handed her brother a burner phone with only her number programmed into it, telling him to sit tight.  Loki cocked an eyebrow at her and asked, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to get a drink and possibly cause some trouble.  Who knows?  We might even have fun in the process," Tori replied.

Clint was getting tired and cranky, as evidenced by his tone.  "Don't we need to find a place for your brother to stay the night?  You aren't planning to have him sleep on the jet, are you?"

"I'm right here, asshole.  Don't you know it's rude to talk about someone in the third person when he's right in front of you?"

Loki offered Charlie a sardonic smile, "He does it all the time, Charles.  Please don't take it personally."

Tori loudly cleared her throat, "Ahem!  If you are done bickering, I was just going to explain that part of this little exercise will also be to get Charlie somewhere safe.  With someone that we trust and isn't too far from Nonna's.  If there is trouble, we will be able to grab him and go."

"Very well then.  Lead the way, Vittoria."

Once they reached the street, Tori started walking up the hill.  Loki caught up with her; they walked in companionable silence, both of them scanning the side streets for any potential attackers.  Thor, Clint, and the others followed closely.  Near the top of the hill, Tori turned down an alley between two brick buildings.

A neon sign depicting a grinning cartoon cat in a top hat and bow tie glowed above the red vinyl door.  Above the cat, in flashing red neon, the words "Alley Cat" were emblazoned against the brick wall that had been painted green at one time.  The awning over the doorway was bleached almost white by the sun, but the underside reveal red and white stripes.

Loki hung back a few steps as Tori approached the door.  Everyone else caught up with them and stood with Loki.  Noticing that he was no longer at her side, she turn to face him.  "Really?  You're so uppity that you won't go to a dive bar?"

"Clearly, you and I have different notions of what constitutes as fun," he said as he wrinkled his nose.  The alley itself was quite odiferous; he didn't believe that the situation behind the door would be any better.

Tori rolled her eyes and pleaded, "Just have one drink.  This is all part of getting Charlie a spot to hide.  If you still don't like it after one drink, we will find somewhere else.  Agreed?"

"Fine," Loki sighed heavily as he rolled his eyes.  "One drink."

Grinning from ear to ear, Tori shoved the door all the way open as she stepped into the bar.  The musty warmth of the old building, stale cigarette smoke, and grain alcohol wafted through the air as Loki and the rest of their group crossed the threshold behind her.  His eyes adjusted to the dim lighting to take in the wood paneling on the walls, adorned with neon signs for every major market brand of beer in North America and an assortment of Polaroid photos and street signs, both provided by patrons of the bar over the years.  The wooden floors were even darker, stained with generations of spilt drinks and foot traffic.  The ceiling was covered with dollar bills and punctuated with women's (and men's) undergarments.  Multi-colored incandescent Christmas lights criss-crossed the whole room, illuminating the red vinyl covered booths.  Over the bar, were head mounts of various game animals.  Front and center was a large stag with Mardi Gras beads hanging from his antlers and about his neck, a Pabst Blue Ribbon trucker hat on his head, and a cigarette butt hanging out of his mouth.  Behind the bar was a large bearded man, his sleeves were rolled up to reveal colorful tattoos on his left arm.  The man's crystal blue eyes were hard as they sized up the newcomers...until they fell on Tori.

The hard expression melted away and became one of jubilation as the man rushed from behind the bar with a whoop.  "Batten down the hatches because Tori the Terrible has arrived!"

Loki and the others stood aside with mild shock as the big man scooped up Tori and swung her around in a big hug.  She was slightly red-faced when the man finally put her down.  "How the hell are ya, Donny?  You still own this dump?"

"Hey, it may be a dump.  But it's _my_ dump, so the beer's cold and the whiskey is warm," the man said with an affectionate smile.  He then turn his attention to Loki and and the others, sticking his hand out.  "I'm Donny O'Rourke, Tori's cousin.  And you are..."

"Loki Friggason.  I can now see the family resemblance between you and Vittoria," Loki said has he took the man's hand and shook it.  While his eyes were lighter than Tori's, he also had the same nose and brow.  Tori, meanwhile, sat back and watched introductions being made.  She had never heard Loki use a last name for himself.  More than once she had heard Sitwell call him "Laufeyson," but that name always seemed to raise his hackles.

"Donny is my Zia Silvia's grandson," Tori explained.  "Donny, I'm sure that your nonna has told you about the man she saw me with earlier this week."

Donny snorted, "Oh yeah.  She was burning up the phone lines between her house and Zia Rosie's as soon as you drove down the street."

As they made their way to the bar, Loki noticed the patrons scattered throughout the building were watching them.  More accurately, watching him and their companions.  Even though he could tell that these men and women were mortals, the feeling of being watched made him uneasy.  Leaning over to Tori's ear, he asked if it was still safe to be here.

"The only drawback to coming here is that I'm either related to or grew up with most of the people in this bar.  They're just trying to figure out who you are.  You're with me, so you'll be fine."

Donny, having taken his place behind the bar, set two highball glasses up on the bar in front of Loki and Tori.  "Whatever you're drinking, I assume it's gonna be served in these."

Tori grinned as she looked from Loki to Donny.  "You have any Johnny Blue?"

The bartender smirked as he shook his head.  "Of course you want me to dig into my private stash.  For my favorite cousin, I am willing to do so," he said as he produced a bottle from below the bar and more glassware.  Donny poured them each three fingers of scotch, then poured for himself and raised his glass.

"Cheers to my cousin, who needs to visit more often.  Not just when she laying low for work or bringing a man home to meet the family."

As their glasses clinked together, Tori rolled her eyes.  "Zia gave me the same treatment, so I will tell you what I told her.  Loki and I are partners.  At.  Work.  We are friends outside of work, but we are co-workers.  You know my policy on dating co-workers, Donny."

Donny's grin indicated that he wasn't buying it.  "Sure thing, coz.  Whatever you say.  So are you two going to be sticking around for your parents to come to town?"

"That all depends on what happens in the next couple of days," Tori shrugged before she turned to Donny with a knowing grin.  "So, are we too early for karaoke tonight?"

The bearded man snorted derisively.  "You know better than that, Tori.  That was the first thing that I eighty-sixed from this place when I bought it.  If I want to hear drunks sing badly, I can just hang out with the family every night."

"Aw, don't be such a stick in the mud."

"I mean it, Tori.  No sing-alongs."

_ ~Twenty Minutes Later~ _

Tori was standing on a table.  From her improvised stage, she was leading the rest of the bar's patrons in singing along to the Flogging Molly selection on the jukebox.  She kept looking over at Donny, daring him to shut it down.  He couldn't, because he was laughing too hard at her rendition of "Fuck You, I'm Drunk."  Loki and Thor sat back, amused look on their faces, listening to her put-on Irish brogue as she sang.  She even managed to get Sif and two-thirds of the Warriors Three to join in the chorus.  Hogun was watching them, no smile upon his face but with something passing for amusement in his eyes.  Clint sulked next to Thor, wondering why they were wasting time like this.

Tori climbed down off the table and came back to the group seated at the bar, with a big grin plastered on her face.  Donny just shook his head, chuckling to himself.  "Leave it to her to do her own thing," he said to no one in particular.

"You've known her all her life, and you're just now picking up on this?" Clint said to Donny.

Donny looked up from the glasses that he had been washing as he answered Clint.  "Oh, no.  Her brothers and I figured this out a long time ago.  Why do you think her nickname is Tori the Terrible?  She always wanted to play with the boys because she said that her sister and our girl cousins were too boring.  We didn't always want to be followed around because Tori was so little, so we'd try to ditch her.  The only time that we were able to do it with any success was when we hung her up by her overalls."

By now, Tori had reached her seat and heard Donny's response to Clint.  "Oh, God.  If you're going to share this, Donny, you have to also tell them what happened to you guys afterward."

"What are overalls?" Sif asked.

Tori explained the Midgardian garment to Sif, then added, "For whatever reason, this particular pair had a loop on the back.  Right where the shoulder straps meet.  I followed the boys down into Zia Silva's basement because I heard them say that they were going to play video games.  When I got to the bottom of the stairs, they ambushed me!  Johnny and Michael, my two older brothers, grabbed my by the arms and hung me from the coat hooks on the back of the door leading outside.  Not only did they leave me there, they forgot about me!"

Donny sheepishly grinned back at her.  "Yeah, we did.  It wasn't until suppertime at Zia Rosie's when we were all sitting down that anyone realized Tori was missing.  When my grandparents found her, she was still kicking, thrashing, and screaming to wake the dead.  She had been hanging on the back of that door for a couple of hours.  All of us boys got the grounding of our lives after that.  In fact, our punishment was to take turns baby-sitting Tori for the next month.  It was during the summer, so it was all day, everyday."

Tori leaned over the bar and spoke in a half-whisper, "Speaking of baby-sitting and dark, subterranean hideaways, do you still have the speakeasy in this building?"

Donny stepped over to stand in front of Tori.  "Now, why would you be needing a spot like that, Tori?"

Tori regarded her cousin, then subtly looked around them.  The crowd had dwindled, but a few die-hards looked to be staying until closing time.  She looked back to Donny and said, "Let's just say I have an out-of-town guest who needs a place to stay for a few days.  Someplace inconspicuous."

Donny motioned for her and the others to follow him to the backroom, which was behind the bar and served as his office and liquor storage.  Once they were inside, Donny shut the door and walked over to a built-in bookcase.  He started tapping his feet on the floorboards in front of it and explained, "I haven't opened it since I bought the place.  The switch might be stuck."

As the last word passed his lips, Donny's foot pressed down hard on the board in the middle of the bookcase; it gave way with a loud _click_.  The bookcase swung into the wall, revealing a dark stairwell.  Pulling out his lighter, Donny led the way down.  Low-hanging cobwebs occasionally got caught on his hand and in the flame of the lighter, only to go up in a wisp of smoke.  The air became much cooler as they descended the stairs.  Donny tugged on a string to turn on the light at the bottom.  The naked bulb illuminated the wall in front of them, revealing what looked to be the door to a walk-in freezer.  When Donny pulled the lever and swung the heavy door open, it revealed the dusty remnants of a Prohibition-era bar and card room.  Even the furnishings remained in place, surprisingly unmolested by rodents, but coated in eighty years' worth of dust.

"I don't know who you plan to have staying down here, but there some cleaning up to do," said Donny as he continued to swat at cobwebs hanging in his face.

Looking around, Tori slowly nodded.  "This'll work.  He's been in worse places, and this will only be for a couple of days.  Three at most."

"Can I ask who will be staying down here all "Phantom of the Opera" style?  Is he gonna be scaring the customers?  Please tell me that there won't be any creepy organ music."

"It's someone that you know as well as you know me," Tori grinned at her cousin.  "You'll get to see him once you close up for the night.  Right now, we have to go get him."  She began to lead everyone out of the room.  She was about to close the door, but saw that Loki was still in there.  He remained where he was standing, looking about the room.  Then, with a flick of his wrist, a flash of green light passed through the room, floor to ceiling, taking all the dust and cobwebs along with it.  Thanks to the room not being exposed to sunlight or excessive heat, the furniture looked almost as new as the day it was brought in.  With a satisfied nod, Loki turned on his heel and stepped out, past Tori and into the stairwell.

She let out a low whistle as she poked her head back into the secret room.  "Hey!  Thanks for handling that!" she shouted up the stairs after him.  "What happened to all the dust and dirt that you made disappear?"

Tori couldn't see Loki's face, but she knew that he was smirking when he said, "You know the laws of physics, Vittoria.  Energy and matter can be neither created nor destroyed.  They merely change forms.  It is far easier for me to send things away than to mold them into something else."

"You still didn't answer my question.  Where did it all go?"

"You'll see soon enough."

* * *

Tori, Loki and the rest of their group were walking back to the jet to get Charlie when Clint's phone began to ring.  It was Natasha.  Tori could only hear his side of the call, but it sounded like things were about to get more complicated.

"Hey, Nat.  What's going on?"

"Yeah, Tori's with me.  Why?"

"Oh.  Well...I mean...can he...Nat, would you let me get a word in?  We can explain later."

"Later."

"Uh-huh."

"I'll check."

Clint put his phone on mute and turned to Tori.  "Natasha wants to talk to you."

Tori vehemently shook her head.  "No way!  She's sounds pissed."

"Coward," Loki said as he smirked down at Tori.

"Oh, I'm sorry.  Would _you_ like to try talking with the Black Widow when she mad enough to yell at her best friend?" Tori replied sarcastically.

When Loki shook his head in the same manner that Tori had, Clint rolled his eyes, "Thanks a lot, you two."

Turning back to his phone, Clint took it off mute.  "Yeah, Natasha.  She'll call you back in a bit."

Clint just listened then hung up the phone, and relayed Natasha's message: "She said you won't have to.  She and Fury will be here in 15 minutes."

"Shit!  We need to get a move on.  How are we going to get Charlie out of the jet and to the bar without them finding out?" Tori said.

"Leave that to me, Vittoria.  I can get him there without anyone being the wiser," Loki said.  He vanished before Tori could even ask him what he planned to do.

Shaking her head, she looked at Thor.  "Does he always have to get the last word?"

* * *

Charlie had started to get anxious, so he paced in the cargo hold of the jet.  He was ready to get out of there, having already raided the supplies storage to find a SHIELD uniform and boots that fit him.  It was almost midnight and he had only gotten a text message from Tori to say they were coming back to get him.  When he felt a whoosh of air behind him, Charlie whirled around and came face-to-face with Loki.  "Oh, shit!  Something's wrong, isn't it?'

"No.  We just need to move up our timetable a bit.  If you'll come with me, I can get you to the safe house," he held out his hand as he spoke.  Charlie looked at him skeptically, but took hold of his hand anyway.  While Charlie didn't _see_ them move, he felt it.  The sudden movement was accompanied by a sudden wave of nausea.  He also noted that their surroundings had changed; he was now in what looked like an old basement bar.

Loki, seeing the young man starting to turn green said, "If you plan to be sick, Charles, please use the lavatory.  I just cleaned the place."

Charlie, choked back the bile and regained his balance before looking Loki square in the eye.  "Where are we?  And where's Tori?"

"Vittoria is dealing with Director Fury, at this moment.  You needed to be removed from the jet before his arrival, hence why I came alone.  We are in the room below your cousin Donny's bar.  I am sure that he will come down as soon as he is finished with his duties for the evening."

Charlie sank into the plush red velvet couch behind him.  The wave of nausea had passed, but now he was very tired.  Kicking off his new boots, he stretched out and yawned, "Well, it's been quite a day.  I think I need some rest."

Loki nodded.  "Rest while you can, Charles.  Tomorrow will be even busier.  I will see that Vittoria contacts you soon."

Charlie looked at the tall man standing in the middle of the room.  He wasn't psychic or anything, but he had always been good at reading people.  "You really like her, don't you?"

Loki ignored his question; a derisive snort and a flash of green and gold light was the only response Charlie got before he found himself alone in the room.

Rolling onto his side, Charlie smiled to himself, "Yeah.  He likes her."

* * *

Donny was alone in the bar, counting his till when he heard a whoosh of air on the store side of the bar.  He looked up to see Loki, all by himself. "One for the road?" Donny asked with a sardonic smile.

Loki smirked back, "I will have to take you up on that later.  I have already delivered your guest downstairs.  He could probably use a meal and a drink."

"Where's Tori?"

"She had some unforeseen business to handle but will be back tomorrow to see you both."

"Tell her that I'll be here at 9:00.  We are opening early tomorrow so I need to make sure everything is ready by then," Donny said as he went back to counting his till.

"I will let her know."  Loki turned to walk out the door when he heard the man's voice.

"She must really like you."  Loki stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face the man as he continued, "Not just anyone can get away with calling her by her full name."

Loki regarded Donny for a moment, the man's eyes were full of amusement as he said, "I'm willing to bet that you like her, too.  But she's serious when she says that she doesn't date co-workers.  You'll have to figure out a way around that if you want to take things further."

"You and your guest have much to discuss, Donny.  I shall see you both tomorrow."  With that, Loki teleported out of the bar.  Donny, meanwhile, was immediately curious as to who was staying in the speakeasy and why they didn't just crash at someone's house.  Lord knows there were enough spare bedrooms and couches within a five mile radius to accommodate anyone.  He reheated a plate of wings and grabbed a beer from the cooler before walking downstairs.  At seeing Charlie stretched out on the couch and dozing, Donny almost drop both the plate and the beer.

For his part, Charlie gave Donny a big smile and said, "Thanks for bringing me dinner, Donny.  Have a seat, and I'll explain what Tori has just got us into."


	19. You're Only in Trouble If You Get Caught

They had just reached the jet when Loki reappeared next to Tori.  She jumped, as she was still getting used to his teleporting in and out of places.

"How's he doing?" Tori asked.  Without looking at Loki, she knew that he was exhausted from all the teleporting and illusion casting he had been doing in the last six hours.

Loki followed her gaze to see another jet coming at them on the horizon.  "Surprising well.  I told him that you would call.  Also, Donny said that he will be at the bar by 9:00 tomorrow morning."

Tori nodded silently, her eyes still fixed on the swiftly approaching aircraft.  She felt a cool hand engulf her own and give it a squeeze.  Looking to her right, she saw Loki peering down at her.  "You have done the right thing, Vittoria.  Do not let anyone else tell you otherwise.  Just stick to the plan."

Tori gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand back before she let it go.  Turning to the rest of the group, "Hey, guys!  Let Loki and I do most of the talking.  If you get asked any questions, just follow our lead."

The jet had just landed and Fury came down the gangplank before it had even touched the ground.  Scanning the assembled group with his eye, he found Tori and stormed right up to her and raged, "What the _fuck_ have you done, Scarpetti?"

Having Loki at her back, and knowing the truth behind why Charlie was sent to prison, gave Tori the sharp focus she needed to keep her cool and play her part.  Arranging her facial expression to appear confounded, she replied "I don't know what you mean, sir.  We just came back from my cousin's bar up the road."

"You breaking your brother out of prison... no, that's not the worst of it.  Impersonating a member of the Cabinet, _then_ breaking your brother out of prison is not the way to do this!"

"What are you talking about?  Charlie is in prison in Colorado.  I'm here.  We've been here this whole time.  And what's this about impersonating a member of the Cabinet?"

Natasha, who looked less than pleased to be there, came forward with her phone.  "SHIELD has a recording of the following conversation, which took place earlier today."

With that, she played the recording:

> An older man with a southern accent spoke, "This is Walter Harris."
> 
> "Mr. Harris, this Jean Thompson.  I'm calling from Secretary Thaddeus Ross' office.  How are you today?" said a woman with a nasally Philadelphian accent.
> 
> "I'm doing just fine, Ms. Thompson.  How may I be of assistance?"
> 
> "Please hold the line while I transfer the call to Secretary Ross."
> 
> After a few seconds of silence and a soft click, the voice of Thaddeus Ross spoke, "Mr. Harris, this is Thaddeus Ross.  I hope that this is a convenient time to talk."
> 
> "Of course, Mr. Secretary.  I can always make time to speak to a member of the Cabinet.  To what do I owe the honor of this call?"
> 
> "It has come to my attention, Walter, that there is a young man in your custody who has recently earned a bit of a reprieve in his sentence.  I am calling to request his immediate transfer to a lower-level penitentiary."
> 
> "This is most unusual, Mr. Secretary.  These requests typically come from the courts and the Bureau of Prisons, not directly from the Executive branch."
> 
> "It is indeed a most unusual request.  It is coming from the top, Walter.  By now, you should have received all the necessary documents to process this request.  However, the President has asked me to personally ensure that this transfer is expedited."
> 
> There was the chime of an email alert in the background, along with the tapping of computer keys.
> 
> "Well, I see that all the documents appear to be in order.  We can have Mr. Scarpetti on a bus for Leavenworth this afternoon."
> 
> "It would be most appreciated, Walter.  Thank you."
> 
> "Thank you, Mr. Secretary."

When the recording was done, Tori shrugged.  "So?  This is the first that I'm hearing it.  Charlie isn't allowed to communicate with the outside world, remember?"

Fury's eye looked as if it was about to pop out of his head.  "Thaddeus Ross was on a fly fishing trip in Idaho.  In near perfect seclusion.  He's been there since last week but is now hurrying back to DC to handle the security breach in the State Department."

Tori then looked at Fury incredulously.  "Aside from the fact that it was my brother that was allegedly broken out of prison, why do you think it was me?  If SHIELD has a recording of the call, they could trace its origins."

Natasha remained calm, but she ratcheted up the annoyance in her voice, "We did.  It came through the State Department's switchboards, but there was a brief repeater signal that came from SHIELD's DC facility before the call was placed."

"See?  It couldn't have been me.  I haven't been anywhere near DC since we captured Dr. Childress."

Natasha's face remained blank, but her voice was still tense, "Where were you three and a half hours ago?"

Tori looked at Loki.  "Where were we?  I think we were still at Primanti's.  Thor and Volstagg got into an eating competition and almost shut the place down."

"Indeed!" added Thor.  "I am most fond of the Double Roast and Cheddar."

"The addition of, what do you call them?  French Fries... to a sandwich is quite good, actually.  I shall have to do that again," said Volstagg.

Still not convinced, Natasha kept prodding.  "Alright, after that where did you go?"

Loki said, "We went back to her grandmother's for a bit, then Vittoria had to get her hair fixed after that unfortunate incident earlier.  Once she returned, we went to her cousin's bar."

Natasha looked at Clint for confirmation.  "He's right, Nat.  That's what we've done since we left the park.  Didn't you notice Tori's new haircut?"

Tori turned her head from side to side to model the new 'do for Natasha.  She had, in fact, had just enough time to visit a friend's salon (when she left Sif to babysit the boys at Primanti's) to get rid of the scorched portions of her hair before they had left to get Charlie.  Gone was the long hair to the middle of her back.  In it's place were long layers from her jawline to just below her shoulders.  Natasha nodded in appreciation, "I really like it.  The layers look good on you."

"Why is your jet on stealth-mode?" Fury asked Clint, getting impatient with all the interruptions.

"We weren't going to park it out in the open for everyone to see.  We put it in stealth mode then locked it from the inside," Clint said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"How do you unlock it?" Natasha asked.

Loki smirked, "Like this."

He grabbed Tori by the shoulders and teleported them inside the jet.  The shielding dissipated and the gangplank of Clint's jet dropped as Loki and Tori walked back outside.  Both of them were now smirking at Tori's boss.

"Explain the dragon," Fury ground out between his teeth as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Loki squinted slightly.  "Dragon?  What dragon?"

"The dragon seen by the driver of the prison bus that Charlie was taken from!" Fury replied with the vein above his right eye pulsating.

"Begging your pardon, Director Fury," Fandral spoke up with a raised hand, "Dragons are not native to Midgard.  In fact, we would be chasing it _and_ Lorelei if there were one on the loose here."

"Is there a chance of hunting a dragon?" Sif asked, seeming to relish the idea.

Tori snorted, "It sounds like somebody was on a bad acid trip, sir.  I thought the Federal Bureau of Prisons had a strict drug-screening policy."

"This is no laughing matter, Scarpetti!  Your brother is now at-large, and he must be found before someone else gets to him."

Tori was having a hard time keeping a lid on her anger.  Some of it began to bubble to the surface as she hardened her gaze at her boss.  "Who would want a dishonorably discharged Air Force captain, sir?  What did Charlie do to make himself so interesting to SHIELD, or anyone else for that matter?"

The Director of SHIELD could only stand silently before the agent, trying to gauge her frame of mind and what she knew.  It wasn't like Tori to play games.  She would bend the rules and push the envelope, but lying and subterfuge were not in her usual bag of tricks.  He looked at the tall, dark figure standing behind her with his arms folded.  Loki's expression was neutral, but he had an air of smug satisfaction about him.  More than usual, anyway.  The God of Lies was not just a talented liar; he was able to tell when others were lying.  Fury knew that if he was going to get anywhere, he'd have to come clean.

He sighed heavily.  "We need to get your brother before Hydra does.  He has information about other experiments that were performed using the Extremis virus, and we have reason to believe that was what they were doing in London."

Tori's lack of surprise almost caught Fury off-guard.  "Yeah, he told me before he went away.  He couldn't tell me everything, but he told me enough to know that there were worse things than spontaneous combustion."

"What your brother didn't tell you was that he came to SHIELD with this information.  SHIELD used your brother.  Badly.  Yes, we thought that we could stop Killian on our own and obtain the technology that he had been developing with Hydra.  It was a mistake.  Not the first mistake that SHIELD had ever made, but one of its worst."

Tori now folded her arms, staring the older man down.  "Was I recruited so that I could be used against my brother?  To buy his silence or, worse still, so I could unwittingly betray him?"

Fury reared back a bit at her glare and tone.  "No.  We recruited you based on your own merits, and perhaps to try to atone for what was done to your brother.  Eventually, you would have learned the truth and been given the chance to set things right.  I need you to trust me, Tori.  We are on the same team." 

"Are we, Fury?  The last time I checked, there was a rat in the operation.  Someone that tipped off Hydra about Loki working with us.  I'm sure they are the same person that let Killian and Hydra know about the information that Charlie brought to you."

Fury rubbed the top of his head in frustration before replying, "You are right to not trust everyone at SHIELD.  We have been trying to root out double agents, quietly, for some time now.  For all we know, SHIELD itself may be too infested to be effective against Hydra.  However, there are trustworthy people there.  You should know, Tori.  You're one of them."

Tori maintained her hard gaze as she said, "Excuse me while I confer with my bullshit detector."  Turning to Loki she said, "Well?"

Loki remained standing with his arms folded as he narrowed his eyes at the spymaster.  "He's telling the truth, or at least he believes that he is."

Tori tilted her head to the side as she regarded Fury.  "What happens to my brother if SHIELD finds him first?"

"It will take time, but we will work to clear his name."

Tori shook her head.  "That's not good enough, sir.  SHIELD _will_ secure his release and wipe his record clean.  Not even so much as a parking ticket!  In fact, I think Charlie will need a job when he's out.  He has experience as an intelligence analyst."

Fury's jaw dropped.  "You know where he is, don't you?"

"Maybe I do.  Maybe I don't," Tori said with a poker face.  "The point is, I won't bring him in, unless I have your word that he is a free man from now on."

By now, the rest of the group had drawn closer.  Judging by the looks on their faces, they would not be forthcoming with anymore information and they would stick to their story.  Fury fixed his eye on Tori.  "Fine.  You have twenty-four hours to find him and bring him onboard to assist in our interrogations of Dr. Childress and review of what we found in his possession.  And you," Fury turned his eye toward Loki, "don't think that I can't see your fingerprints all over this.  I've got my eye you.  Both of you."

Fury stalked off toward the jet that he and Natasha flew.  Natasha hung back to continue looking at each of them.  With a small smirk, she said, "Good job, Tori.  I can't wait to meet this brother of yours, though SHIELD may not be ready for two Scarpettis."

Loki spoke up before Tori could reply, "Agent Romanov, I think that SHIELD was woefully unprepared for one Scarpetti.  Two may break the organization entirely."

Tori pulled a face as she replied, "You're a real pal, Loki."

Natasha watched the exchange with a raised brow and a glance at Clint.  She continued, "Just be smart and don't take any unnecessary risks.  There's a lot riding on your success here." With that, Natasha turned and boarded the jet to head back to New York.  The others all breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Tori turned around to face the others, relief evident in her face and posture.  "Well, I'd put that in the Win column.  Let's get back to the house and get some sleep."

* * *

Nonna was already fast asleep when they arrived at the house.  Tori led everyone around the back, explaining that there were a few loose steps and a squeaky hinge on the screen door at the front of the house.  Nonna's room was right above the porch and with the window open, she would surely hear them.

"You've had to sneak back into this house before, haven't you?" Loki said with a hint of amusement.

Tori grinned back at him, "Maybe once or twice."

She stopped them at the back porch, before they entered the house.  "Guys, I can't thank you enough for sticking your necks out for my brother.  I mean it, really."  She then proceeded to hug everyone.  As she hug Hogun she said, "I know you're probably not a hugger, but you're getting one anyway."

Sif and the other Warriors were stunned that Hogun even allowed her to hug him, let alone that he sort of returned it.

On down the line she went.  When she reached Loki, he wearily held his hand up.  "No hug is necessary."

"Bullshit!  You deserve the biggest hug of all.  We couldn't have done it without you!"  She leapt at him, nearly tackling Loki in a hug.  The momentum from Tori flying at him causing Loki to spin around so his back was to everyone else.  Grateful that none of the others could see his face, Loki closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of this diminutive, but feisty, mortal in his arms.  His gratitude was exponentially increased when she reached up to give him a peck on the cheek; he couldn't very well have his brother see the shock on his face when she did.

"Goodnight, all!  We have to be back at the bar by 9:00 tomorrow," Tori said with a grin before she entered the house and lightly tread upstairs.

Everyone watched her vanish into the house, then turned their gaze toward Loki.  "What?  Haven't you ever seen a woman so happy that she'd kiss just about anyone," Loki said as he hastened past his brother and his friends.  He wasn't about to have any of them spoil Tori impromptu display of affection...even if it was only because he had helped save her brother.

* * *

It was well past midnight, and Jasper Sitwell was leaving SHIELD headquarters.  Director Fury had just returned from a mysterious, last-minute trip.  When Sitwell followed up on it, Fury's jet appeared to land somewhere just south of Pittsburgh.  It had been almost a week since anyone had seen either Tori or Loki.  According to the Avengers, Loki was being held at The Tower under tight security.  When asked about Agent Scarpetti's whereabouts, everyone was told she had to deal with a "family emergency."  If that were so, why would Fury be making clandestine trips with the Black Widow?

Sitwell knew that something was up.  After talking it over with Agents O'Connell and Mackie, he decided to send them to Pittsburgh to check things out.  He was going to get out of Headquarters and head down to the city to check on how things were progressing with Childress.  He needed to know just how much information the Avengers had managed to get from him.  All he knew at this time was that SHIELD was somewhat quietly, but steadily, moving assets into the area surrounding Pittsburgh.  The timing of Scarpetti's emergency leave was too coincidental.

He inserted the key into the ignition of his car and turned it over.  As soon as he did, a gigantic cloud of dust filled the car with an audible _poof_.  Sitwell left the engine running and quickly undid his seatbelt to roll out the driver's side door.  Coughing and hacking up the dust that filled his mouth and nostrils, Jasper Sitwell removed his glasses from his face and stared in amazement at his car.  There was no possible way that much dust could have been blown into the air vents of the car over the course of the days it sat parked in the garage.  It wasn't possible for that much dust and dirt to have blown into all of the cars of all of SHIELD's personnel combined!  Sitwell began to sneeze violently, as he removed his jacket and tie.  

"Where the hell did all of that come from?" he wondered aloud, once he finally stopped sneezing.

"Agent Sitwell.  What seems to be the problem?"

Sitwell turned to face Director Fury, who was walking toward him with a slightly bewildered look on his face.

"I don't know where this came from, sir.  All I did was start my car."

Fury gave him not-quite-a-smile.  "Well, it looks like you will need to take another one of the cars until we can get this one cleaned out.  Good night, Sitwell."

"Good night, sir," replied a puzzled Agent Sitwell.

* * *

The following morning, Tori bounded down the stairs with more energy than usual.  Charlie was out of prison, they were going to take out a major Hydra operation, and the Asgardians were going to capture that bitch who kidnapped and tortured Loki.  Things were starting to look up.

The sight of Asgardians and Avengers in Nonna's kitchen was fast becoming the norm.  They all turned to greet Tori, though Tony, Bucky, and Steve started booing as they saw she was wearing her Pirates t-shirt and ball cap.

Tori just threw her arms up and said, "Come at me, bro! No Yankees or Dodgers around here!"

Nonna just shook her head, " _Pignatta_ , don't taunt your guests.  I will see you later.  Be safe."

"I will be as safe as I know how, Nonna," Tori said as she gave her grandmother a kiss on the cheek.  "We'll see you at supper."

A chorus of goodbyes rose from the assembled group.  Rosie pulled Loki aside and said, "I know my granddaughter.  Please make sure that she doesn't do anything foolish."

Loki green eyes met the old woman's hazel ones.  "I will do my best.  You know that she has a mind of her own and is terribly stubborn."

Rosie nodded in agreement.  "Yes, Vittoria does things her own way.  Just make sure that she comes back in one piece."

"I'll bring her back, Nonna."

Rosie patted Loki on the cheek with a warm smile and shooed him down the hall.

When they arrived at the Alley Cat, Donny had just unlocked the front door.  It was game day and it promised to be a busy one with watch parties all over town.  "Geez, Tori!  Could you warn me the next time celebrities are coming?  It would be a nice PR bump for the place."

After Tori introduced Donny to the rest of the Avengers, she made a beeline for Charlie's hideout.  The others were hot on her heels and soon crowding the old speakeasy.  Donny closed the door behind them, making sure that they would be undisturbed while he went about the rest of his prep for the day.

"Alright, everything is in place for later today, right?  We have the containment staged for when we set off the EMP?"

Fandral spoke up.  "Indeed, we are ready.  Heimdall, while not reluctant, has asked that we refrain from utilizing the Bifrost for such endeavors in the future, as it clutters up the Observatory in a terrible way."

He then turned to Loki and said, "Heimdall also wanted me to tell you that you should busy yourself with looking after Lady Vittoria, rather than making her your protégée.  He says that she is already mischievous enough."

Tori and Loki exchanged a look, then continued with the business at hand.  Everyone had their places and their tasks.  Now, they just needed to move out.

Everyone trudged back up the stairs to the ground floor.  They had just cleared the top of the stairs and were about to exit Donny's office when they heard voices out in the main room.

Tori heard Donny say, "Sorry, boys.  We aren't open for at least another hour.  You can come back then."

"We aren't thirsty, Mr. O'Rourke.  In fact, we are looking for your cousin.  Vittoria Scarpetti?  She has been to see you recently, has she not?"

Tori's brow furrowed as she tried to figure out the owner of that voice.  It was familiar, but why would anyone be looking for her?  Loki was right at the door with her, listening.  "It's Agent O'Connell," he whispered.

"What the hell is he doing here?  I thought Fury was the only one to know where we were," Tori said to Clint.

They heard a third voice from behind the door.  It was Agent Jason Mackie, O'Connell's partner.  "Mr. O'Rourke, we have reason to believe that your cousin may be in imminent danger.  She is in the company of a very dangerous man and may have been coerced into helping her younger brother break out of prison."

Tori heard Donny let loose with a dry laugh, "Yeah?  Well, if you know anything about this family, we aren't known to be the safest, or sanest, lot.  I'm sure that Tori knows her own business."

"Mr. O'Rourke, your cooperation isn't just requested.  It's required.  We would prefer to not have to do things the hard way -"

O'Connell was interrupted by the action on a shotgun, followed by a growl from Donny.  "You listen to me.  You can look for my cousin all you want, but I will _not_ have some government spooks come in here demanding something I can't give them.  Now, you have ten seconds to get the fuck out of my bar."

"Consider this the one and only chance you'll have at cooperating, Mr. O'Rourke," Mackie said as footsteps retreated toward the door.  "We won't be coming back with a warrant, but we _will_ be back."

They heard the door to the bar close.  Everyone was huddled by the door, at the ready when Donny knocked.  "Hey, it's me.  I'm coming in."

Easing the door open, Donny entered his office still holding the sawed-off shotgun that he kept stashed under the bar.  He looked around the room for his cousin, but could only see all of the Asgardians standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Captain America.  "Where's Tori?"

An arm shot up from behind Loki and Tori said, "I'm right here.  It's a little crowded, Donny."

"Yeah, some people were just looking for you.  I don't know who you told about your working vacation, but they looked like a whole lot of trouble."

Loki nodded in agreement.  "They are trouble.  Is there another exit from the building?"

"Yeah, at the end of the breezeway.  Just past the kitchen.  It'll take you out to the loading dock for the grocers in the next building."

"Thanks, Donny.  We'll be back later," Tori said as they filed out of the office.  As she passed a rack, she grabbed a few bottles off the shelf, "Mind if I buy a couple of bottles off you?"

Tony raised his eyebrows.  "Bacardi 151?  Even I think it's a little early for kamikaze shots."

"I don't plan on drinking these, but they may come in handy.  Besides, I would have preferred moonshine, but Donny runs a reputable establishment."

Loki quirked an eyebrow at this.  "Moonshine?"

"Yeah, bootleg liquor.  Hooch.  White lightning.  Illegally distilled spirits that may or may not be able to peel chrome off a bumper."

"That sounds revolting.  And people actually drink it?" asked Sif.

Tori chuckled, "You'd be surprised at what some people are willing to drink."

They exited the building, seeing that the loading dock and street beyond were empty.  They rounded the corner and proceeded to where Tori had taken them the day before.  However, the streets leading to the trail were not unoccupied this time.  In fact, there was a massive group headed right toward them.  Judging by the way they moved, they were not party-goers or baseball fans...

"Guys!  We have company," Steve called out as everyone took in the sight of the approaching crowd.  As they got closer, Tori could see that they weren't exactly human.  In fact, they didn't look human at all.  Tori had only seen photos of the Chitauri without their armor.  Seeing them in person, even in zombie form, was not an experience that she would want to repeat anytime soon.

"Shit!  Here," Tori shoved the bottles of rum at Loki, "I need you to throw these so they land in front of them."

Loki raised an eyebrow at her, but shrugged and did as requested.  He chucked the bottles in a high arc, while Tori drew her pistol and led her target until it was just above the creatures' heads.  She pulled the trigger, which was then followed by an exploding fireball that engulfed the front lines of Chitauri zombies.  The heat from one exploding bottle set off the other, right about the middle of the charging combatants.

"Nice shot!" Fandral said as he looked on in amazement.  He didn't expect a mortal's marksmanship to be that accurate.  Then again, he didn't have Clint and Natasha as shooting partners.  

Tony moaned in disappointment, "What a waste of rum.  As a pirate, you should be ashamed of yourself, Tori."

Tori would have made a Jack Sparrow joke, but she was too busy watching to see if her improvised firebomb had any impact.  To her chagrin, it only seemed to slow the onslaught a bit.  In spite of seeing their comrades burnt to cinders, they closed ranks and kept coming.

Steve started to do what he does best.  "We can keep these guys occupied.  Tori, you and Loki lead Bruce and Tony down to the river.  We need to knock out that generator before they can use it to send more of these things or anything worse."

"You got it, Cap.  Boop, Reindeer Games: lead the way."

Tori took them along side streets that skirted the approaching wave of creatures.  Aside from a few stragglers, they encountered no resistance on the way to the park.  As they got to the edges of the park, though, Tori noticed it was starting to get crowded.  Crowded with men.  Only men.

"Hey, Loki?  You know how you said you had a way to keep men from falling under Lorelei's spell?  Do you think we can do that for Bruce and Tony...like, now?"

Loki looked around and nodded, "I can."  With that, a green glow passed from his hands to Tony and Bruce's ears.

"That should work, at least long enough for us to plant the device and call on Heimdall to drop the containment.  We must hurry."

Loki, Bruce, and Tony had no trouble blending in with the crowd.  Tori, however, kept looking over her shoulder.  She didn't like standing out like this, but Loki needed to conserve his strength.  Casting an illusion to make her appear to be a man would've been too much.  They wove their way through the press of people.  Just as they reached the portal generator, it started to spin.  It was still giving off the same readings it had yesterday, including the radio signal.

"This is so weird, Tony.  Why would it send a radio signal?"

Tony called up his suit as they approached the generator.  Once it was on, he took his own readings, confirming what she said.  "I'm not sure, Tori.  Is it the same frequency as yesterday?"

"Yeah, but now I can almost hear a pattern through the static.  Listen."

Tony used the suit to process through the white noise.  "Uh, guys?  That signal isn't just background.  It's sending and receiving data."

"Where is the signal coming from?" asked Bruce.  He was starting to look uncomfortable; he grimaced and began to rub his temples with the tips of his fingers.  Then again, Bruce wasn't a big fan of crowded places, for obvious reasons.

Nobody got to answer Bruce's question.

As Loki approached the machine, the fins that made up the center of the generator (that gave it the appearance of an abstract sculpture) began to spin about the center and rotate on their own axes.  The whir of the machine drown out the steady hum of the gathering crowd.  Loki had walked around the other side of the generator to locate the most vulnerable part of the device so they could plant the EMP where it would do the most damage.  Loki had just located it when he saw a cluster of men swiftly emerge from the crowd.  At first glance, they did not seemed out of the ordinary.  Loki soon saw that they were not simply thralls or reanimated corpses: they were truly human/Chitauri hybrids.

As the generator reached a higher speed, Tori was able to see between the fins.  Loki fighting off more combatants, so she got Tony's attention and headed to the other side of the generator.  She emptied the clip in her pistol and was reloading as she got closer to Loki.  When he saw her approaching, he roared above the whirring of the generator:

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS UNHOLY DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Tori struggled to be heard as she shouted back, "What does it look like?  I'm backing you up."

Tony began to blast and throw more of the enhanced foot soldiers away from the generator site.  Between his throwing knives and daggers, Loki had started to collect quite a pile around himself.

"Stark and I have this in hand!  Go help Banner!"

Tori was about to protest, but the look on Loki's face told her that she'd be sorry if she did.  She gave him a nod and turned back toward Bruce.  Only, Bruce was starting to turn a familiar shade of green.  Unlike the previous times Tori had witnessed the Hulk emerge, Bruce didn't look like he was in control.  He was doubled over in pain with his palms pressed to his ears and fingers raking his hair and scalp.  The generator had begun to speed up and now the whirring of the spinning fins was accompanied by a high-pitched whine.

"Uh-oh," was all that Tori could say before the Hulk came roaring onto the scene, literally.  The sheer volume of his roar was enough to be heard over the generator and cause everyone to stop what they were doing.  Time seemed to slow as Tori did the one thing her body could do: she ran as fast as her short legs could carry her.  Once she got some distance between her and what was coming, Tori turned to see what was happening.  The Hulk began to smash and rip the generator apart.  Tori had just enough time to wonder why they didn't just plan for that in the first place.  Hulk's fist then drove the center spoke of the generator into the base, and a huge blast of blue energy and flames shot out in all directions.  The explosion sent Loki, Tony, and Hulk flying.  Everyone else in the immediate area was either vaporized or badly burned.

The concussive force of the blast knocked Tori off her feet.  She landed on her back a good ten feet away from where she had been standing.  The ringing in her ears made observing the scene before her even more surreal.  Her mind was trying to process everything quickly while her body was trying to recover from the shock of the blast and her rough landing.  She knew that she had to get on her feet and get out of the way, but her legs wouldn't move as quickly as she wanted.  Her back was sore; no doubt a beautiful bruise was forming there.  As the ringing in her ears began to recede, the sounds of shouting and the clash of battle replaced it.  She was still trying to orient herself when she felt someone grab her about the waist and lift her off her feet.

Looking down, she saw an arm clad in green and black armor and leather.  Loki had Tori tucked under his left arm and balanced on his hip while he continued to wield a dagger in his right.  Even carrying her, Loki was still able to move quickly.  The spinning and not being in control of her movements made Tori dizzy and nauseous.  She thought that shutting her eyes would help.  It didn't.  She tried to figure out how to throw up without getting any on herself or Loki, but he finally set her back on her feet.

"Stay here!  I mean it!  If you move from this spot, you won't be able to sit on your backside for a month when I catch up with you!"

Tori looked around and noticed that he had taken her to the edges of the trees in the park, close to where they had confronted the Extremis-enhanced guards.  She was surveying the chaos below, when she finally put together what he was saying.  "Did you just threaten to spank me?!?!  Oh hell, no!"

Loki grabbed her by the jaw and forced her to look up at him.  "Do not test me on this!  You are to stay here."  Loki's face was set in determined lines.  There was no way that he would accept any answer but "yes."  Tori had a feeling if she attempted any more sass or sarcasm, he'd make good on his threat right then and there.

"Alright," she begrudgingly replied, "I'll stay here.  Just give me a weapon or something in case I have to defend myself."

Loki eyed her suspiciously, but waved his hand to produce a dagger from thin air.  He handied it to her and said, "Take care to not cut yourself.  That's Asgardian steel and is not nearly as forgiving as your own blade.  It will do me no good to have you bleed to death."

Tori gave him a dirty look.  "Thanks for the vote of confidence.  Get back down there and give 'em hell."

Loki smirked as he replied, "You don't have to tell me twice, Vittoria."

With that, he teleported away in a flash of green and gold light.  Tori stood on the hill, against the trees, and watched as the rest of the Avengers joined the fight.  She then heard voices and footsteps approaching her position.  It was O'Connell and Mackie.

"We need to get him back to her.  She's gonna be pissed if we fail this time," said O'Connell.

"What are we supposed to do with Scarpetti?  She's his little shadow."

O'Connell gave a cruel chuckle.  "What do you think, Mackie?  Lorelei has no use for her.  Use your imagination."

"Do you think he will come willingly this time?  Now that he has seen the army she's building with Hydra?"

Both men stopped short, evidently seeing Tori.  They hadn't bothered to conceal their approach, so she had heard everything from her spot.  She kept her back to them, trying to let them think that she had not heard them.  " _Think, Tori.  You could try to take them both, but they are after Loki.  If they kill you, then what?  What would Loki do?_ "

" _What would Loki do?_ "

Tori let a fiendish grin creep across her face.  She knew how to play this so that she could throw them off.  First, she had to make sure that Loki wasn't watching.  Tori located him on the field below, just has he had slit the throat of one Chitauri and turned to gut another.  " _Good.  He's busy._ "

With the grin still on her face, Tori turned to face the double agents.  "I was wondering when you fools would finally show yourselves," she said in her best impersonation of Loki's cadence and mannerisms.

"Sc-Scarpetti?" Mackie looked at her apprehensively.

"No, you dolt.  I am most certainly _not_ Agent Scarpetti.  I have only assumed her form so that could sneak away from the battlefield.  I shall remain in this form until we are safely away."

O'Connell looked at her suspiciously.  "If you're supposed to be Loki, then who's that?"  He was pointing at Loki as he grabbed a Chitauri zombie by the head and snapped its neck.

"Oh, that is an illusion.  I only made it appear that I am still on the field."

O'Connell and Mackie drew closer, still eyeing her with suspicion.  Tori had to maintain her cool, and the smug façade, if she was going to pull this off.  She masked her uncertainty with a sneer at the two men.

Mackie then spoke, "Where is the real Scarpetti?"

Tori gave a dismissive wave of her hand, like so many that Loki had given, "You needn't worry yourself about her, Agent Mackie.  She is quite indisposed.  Now, will you take me to Lorelei? I have business to discuss with her."

O'Connell came forward bearing a set of Asgardian handcuffs.  "Those are not necessary.  I plan to come along willingly."

The two men silently conferred with each other.  Tori maintained the air of smug self-confidence, despite the fact that her stomach was roiling with anxiety.  What if these guys weren't buying it?  At length, the two men nodded.  "Follow us.  And no funny business," O'Connell said gruffly.

Tori smirked back at him.  "Perish the thought, Agent O'Connell."

As the two turncoats led her away from the park, Tori recalled what Loki had once told her about Asgard's gatekeeper and his eavesdropping habits.  " _Heineken...er, Heimdall?  You had better follow me and figure out a way to tell them where I'm going.  Otherwise, I'm up shit creek._ "


	20. On the Highway to Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: there is torture in this chapter.

The Gatekeeper of Asgard was looking out over the cosmos from his perch within the Observatory, his golden eyes unblinking.  Nine trillion souls.  He had heard tales of previous Watchers, his spiritual (and in some cases, literal) forebearers who had been nearly driven to madness at the sights and sounds of all these souls beseeching the gods for aid.  In this moment, The Watcher was also The Waiting.  As he had agreed with Fandral the Dashing, he awaited the signal to send the contraption crafted by their Midgardian allies to put an end to the apparent attempt to transport an invasion army across the universe.  When the Warriors Three had worked to bring the components of this contrivance, Heimdall had only just managed to conceal his incredulity at its effectiveness.  However, he now sat.  Waiting for the signal to send it back to its realm of origin.

That was when he heard a voice that he had only heard peripherally when he had previously observed both the Crown Prince of Asgard and his disgraced brother.  " _Heineken...er, Heimdall?  You had better follow me and figure out a way to tell them where I'm going_ _._ "

At the sound of her voice in his mind, Heimdall turned his focus toward her and her thoughts.  Without the sorcery or guile of her charge, her mind was an open book.  There, he saw that she was being led away from Loki and Thor's companions.  Led by men who were now betraying their friends and comrades.  Heimdall also saw how it was that the woman came to be in this position.  It wasn't often that the Gatekeeper sighed.  Even at that, the cause was usually in the form of the younger Prince of Asgard.  He now found himself heaving a sigh of resignation laced with ire at the woman who had called upon him.  She was as reckless as she was devious.

Heimdall summoned Tyr.  He would have to go to Midgard to deliver the news.  For not the first time, he was grateful that his duties kept him firmly planted on his dais at the end of the Bifrost.  He did not envy any man who would have to tell Loki what just became of his little mortal friend.  For now, he would continue to watch her for any sign of trouble.  If the Norns were kind, Vittoria Scarpetti may yet survive this.

* * *

Tori took advantage of her following O'Connell and Mackie to observe and listen in on their chatter.  They were their normal, asshole selves.  Well, not quite; they spent the good majority of their trek through the woods jawing about Lorelei.  They were so busy with their discourse that they failed to notice the dagger she still had and that it was tucked into the scabbard strapped to her thigh, where her own dagger would have been (if it hadn't been melted a few days ago).  They also failed to notice that "Loki" had not turned back into himself.

"She will be so pleased to see that we've brought Loki with us."

"Now all we need is to free the doctor so he can finalize his work.  Lorelei will be so excited."

"Of course she was right: the prototypes are easily controlled but cannot act entirely on their own."

"Once the doctor is done with his work, she will have an army worthy of her and her sister."

" _Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah_ ," Tori thought as they tried to one-up each other on what will make Lorelei happiest.  She knew that this particular Asgardian had some sort of power over men, but damn!  " _I wonder if it's possible for her to make them_ less _annoying than they are right now.  Is this just an unfortunate side effect?  Or by design?_ "

Tori noticed that O'Connell and Mackie were taking her deeper into the woods on the south banks of the river.  Here, the air was damp and cool.  It cut right through Tori as she gave an involuntary shiver.  The woods seemed to be too quiet.  There were neither birds singing nor any signs of deer or smaller mammals that inhabited the Appalachians.  It was downright creepy.  There was a small clearing in the woods, but the ground had been trampled under the soles of many, many pairs of feet.  Where once had been tender grass, moss, and dead leaves, there was now a giant mud hole.

As they walked further into the clearing, the air began to shimmer like heat waves off pavement in the summer heat.  While the air felt heavier to Tori, it was not hot.  The shimmering began to draw toward the middle of the clearing until a thin, bright line of light formed then parted to reveal a cavernous room, bustling with activity beyond the edges of the hole in thin air.  Tori peered between her escorts' shoulders to look into what seemed like a hangar or warehouse.  She had enough time to realize that there was a much, much larger army amassed in that space.  It also seemed that the Chitauri worms, which had been wrecked in the Battle of New York, were now revived and being fitted with armor and artillery.  Tori swallowed hard at the sight, not daring to step any closer to the door in the middle of nowhere.

Two women were standing in the midst of a cadre of black-clad Hydra scientists and engineers.  They were dressed like they could have stepped out of a Cecil B DeMille "blood and sand" epic; a blonde and a redhead both dressed in colorful flowing gowns and the sort of cool condescension that Tori had only ever seen on the trust-fund babies she had the misfortune of knowing in high school...and on the occasions when Loki had to work with other SHIELD agents.  Tori assumed that they were Lorelei and her sister.

Tori was following O'Connell and Mackie through the portal when the redhead turned their way.  Her eyes widened with fury and recognition.

"There!  That is the little Midgardian brat who broke him out of his cell!" she screeched as she pointed a delicate, perfectly manicured finger at Tori.

Tori didn't have to fake her way through a smirk and cruel chuckle.  " _That must be Lorelei_ ," she thought.  " _She's really gonna hate me when she realizes who's coming here after me._ "

Said women were now swiftly closing the distance between themselves and the portal.  Lorelei turned to O'Connell with pure venom, "You were supposed to bring back Loki, you buffoon!  Not his mortal pet!"

"Th-this is Loki, ma'am.  He shifted into another form to disguise himself," stammered the large bald man as both women looked him up and down.

The blonde offered O'Connell a frozen smile as she spoke in cool, deceptively soothing tones.  "Did he now?  The Trickster living up to his name, then."

She now made her way over to Tori, hips swaying and giving her...erm, Loki, bedroom eyes.  "You know, Your Highness, I have seen you turn into many strange and wondrous things.  Why you should debase yourself and turn into such a homely little mutt is beyond my comprehension."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Tori adopted the clipped cadence and menacing tone that Loki often used when he was pissed off.  "You are quite right: it _would_ be beyond your comprehension.  I had to maintain an illusion of cooperation, did I not?"

"But why should you maintain such a vile form now?  You are far from your brother and anyone that would recognize you."  The blonde tilted her head to the side and looked down at Tori, eyebrows arched haughtily.  "I look forward to hearing how you broke the enchantment on the cuffs that prevent you from shapeshifting."

Concern settled in the pit of Tori stomach as this woman circled her with clinical interest.  The redhead scrutinized her from a distance, but Tori could also see that both women were thinking the same thing: imposter.  Tori knew she was toast if she stuck around.  As the blonde came around from her left side, Tori's right hand slid up to the grip of the dagger Loki had given her.  In one motion, she drew it from the scabbard, and slashed the blade in an upward arc.  She managed to catch the blonde across the shoulder, the top of her arc ending as the dagger's tip graze the blonde's cheek and drew blood.

The taller woman let out an awful shriek of pain, and Tori knew she didn't have time to land a killing blow on an Asgardian.  She turned tail and ran.

O'Connell and Mackie were right on her heels.  Mackie threw himself at her, hoping to wrap up her legs, but had narrowly missed Tori's ankles.  O'Connell, however, had longer arms and more momentum by virtue of his size.  He flew through the air and hit Tori in the center of her back.

Tori landed with O'Connell on top of her, the air being crushed out of her lungs.  They struggled in the mud, O'Connell grasping for the hand that held the dagger.  "Stop fighting, you little bitch," O'Connell hissed in Tori's ear as he grabbed her ponytail with his other hand.

"The more you fight, the worse this will be for you.  Actually, that's not true.  It's going to be about the same, no matter what," O'Connell licked Tori's ear.  This would have made Tori wretch, but for the fact that his throat was now in striking distance.  Flipping the dagger so that the blade pointed upward in her clenched fist, Tori thrust it over her shoulder and drove it into the man's throat.  She felt the warm, stickiness of O'Connell's lifeblood gushing over her shoulders, neck, and the right side of her face.  She heaved the large man off of her, regaining her feet.  Tori reached the edge of the clearing, feet slipping in the mud.  " _Home free.  You'll be out of here soon.  Just run and don't look back._ "

Yeah.  Right.

Tori blindly tore down the path in the woods, paying no mind that the trees and undergrowth seemed to get more dense than what she had seen on the way into the woods.  All she cared about was getting back to the other side of the river.  Back to Loki.  Branches of trees now reached out for her.  Not just hanging over the path.  They actually moved and _reached out_.  The grasping branches with their twiggy fingers were attached to trees that bent and swayed to pursue her.  Tori tripped on a root and fell.  She looked down at her foot; what she saw stunned her.  "What the hell?" she blurted as she saw the raised root burrowed itself into the ground.

"Oh, fuck that!" she shouted as she got back on her feet.  Tori hadn't taken more than three steps when more roots and branches seized her arms, wrists, and ankles.  The trees groaned as their branches and roots twisted so that she was spun around to face back the way she had come.  Tori was lifted off the ground as vine wrapped itself around her neck and brought to eye level with the blonde, who now stood with her hands on her hips, glowering at Tori.

"I suppose introductions are in order.  I am Amora, The Enchantress.  And you, Vittoria Scarpetti, have just made a fatal error."

* * *

The wreckage of the portal generator was a smoldering heap of slag that stood as a monument to the colossal explosion and subsequent battle that had just subsided.  The Avengers, Loki, and the Asgardians were now picking their way through the dead and wounded to reach the spot were Loki had left Tori.  After Dr. Banner's large, green friend had calmed down, they were able to determine that Lorelei had some how forced his transformation when the generator produced a sound that only the Hulk's ears would have heard.  It had been excruciating for Bruce.

"So we can prevent an encore performance, Dr. Banner, I will devise a spell to shield your ears.  However, it may temporarily decrease your hearing over the rest of your auditory range," Loki said as they cross the park.

Bruce offered him a sheepish smile, "Yeah.  I don't mind being temporarily deaf if I can keep the other guy under control."

Loki was only partially paying attention.  The limited damage done by the explosion meant only one thing: it was a decoy.  Stark had further confirmed it when he figured out that some of the background signals coming from it were in fact a data stream.  Before all hell broke loose, Stark had been able to determine that the transmissions were between the "generator" and a location to the southwest of them.  Stark wasn't able to get a bearing on it before the Hulk had destroyed the device.

Loki turned his full attention back to locating Vittoria.  He was not able to see her from afar but assumed that she had taken cover in the stand of trees at the edge of the park.  He also assumed that the silence of the park, aside from the buzz of activity from SHIELD's clean up crews and the bewildered murmuring of the crowds that had witnessed the heaviest of the fighting, would have drawn her out by now.  He had now reached the very spot where he left her standing.  No Vittoria.

Loki felt his heart in his throat.  He shouldn't have left her unattended.  " _What if she had been taken by retreating forces?  What if she dove back into the battle?_ "  He now turned his gaze back out to the field strewn with bodies.  " _What if -_ "

A blinding flash of light shot down from the sky, causing a swirl of flying clumps of grass as it hit the ground.  Holding up his arm to shield his face from the flying debris, Loki squinted to see who could possibly have been sent from Asgard.  Heimdall was a little too late to deliver the containment hull that Stark had fashioned.  Not that it was necessary at this point.  The Bifrost faded to reveal the figure of a man, clad in Einherjar's armor.

Thor recognized him instantly.  "Tyr!  What news from home?  Is it Father?"

The bearded man bowed to Thor in response to his greeting.  "Your Highness, the Allfather is well.  However, I have a message from Heimdall...for your brother."

The look on Tyr's face was one of apprehension.  "Your Grace," he turned addressed Loki, "Heimdall bid me to say that your mortal has been taken by two of the traitorous agents to Lorelei."

The anxiety that Loki had felt earlier turned to dread.  Tyr continued to speak, being sure to keep a distance between himself and the dark Prince, "There was no struggle.  She allowed herself to be taken so that she could learn the whereabouts of their base.  She was able to get Heimdall's attention as she did so he followed her as long as he could."

Loki's fists were clinched at his sides, trembling with rage.  "Where is she now?" he growled at the captain of the Einherjar.

"I am to guide you to where Heimdall last saw her.  She is now being concealed by The Enchantress and her sister.  She was still alive, Your Grace, but she was in pain."

All eyes were now on the God of Mischief, who stood stock-still in the midst of the group.  His eyes were focused at a point in front of him his hands gracefully moving through the air.  Thor had seen this often enough to know that Loki was casting a locator spell.  No one expect the outcome of the spell to be a spark of green and a brief image of Tori to form in the air.  She had a blackened left eye and a split lower lip, glaring defiantly at someone before a fist belonging to an unknown assailant connected with the side of her face.  At this, the image vanished.

Without a word of warning, Loki's seidr shot out in the form of a charge that threw back all those gathered about, uprooting trees and bushes nearby and dislodging a concrete bench that was anchored to the ground.  His glowing green eyes turned to Tyr, who was picking himself off the ground.  Judging by the look on Loki's face, Thor knew that there would be no help for any that stood in his brother's way.  Loki said "Lead the way, Tyr.  We haven't a moment to lose."

* * *

Jasper Sitwell arrived at The Tower, noting that the lights were on but no one was home.

Almost no one.  The young Avenger recruits were there.  He would have to avoid Stark's creation and Maximoff but keep the other occupied.  Based on his last communication with Mackie, he would have a very narrow window in which to locate Childress.  One thing in his favor: they now had Scarpetti and could use her as a bargaining chip to gain Loki's cooperation.

Sam Wilson greeted the senior SHIELD agent as he walked to the elevator bank.  "Agent Sitwell, you might have a wait if you're here to see Tony or Steve.  They left this morning for a mission but should be back soon."

"Actually, I came to see how far you have gotten with Dr. Childress.  What information has he provided so far?"

Sam motioned for Sitwell to join him on the ride up.  "He's been pretty tight-lipped.  He keeps whistling the same tune over.  And over.  And over.  And over.  That dude is as weird as the day is long.  Other than that, he has only told us that Hydra was assisting Lorelei to build a portal generator somewhere in the Appalachians.  Not far from where they extracted Loki."

Sitwell was quiet, as if digesting the information.  "Where is he now?"

"Loki?  The Avengers needed him for the mission, so they took him."

"No, I mean Childress."

Sam didn't see any reason to keep that information from a senior SHIELD agent.  "He's in detention on the fifteenth floor.  Stark has that whole floor on lockdown.  Even I can't get off the elevator there.  Like I said, you're welcome to wait for the rest of the team to come back."

The elevator chimed, announcing that it had reached the common area, as Sitwell shook his head to decline Sam's invitation.  "No.  Thank you, Sam.  I have to get back to The Facility."

Sam left Sitwell on the elevator as it began its descent, still puzzled at the exchange that he just had with the agent.  He meandered into the kitchen, but still couldn't get past Sitwell's curiosity over Childress.  He returned to the main room with his sandwich and glanced toward the elevator.  The lights indicated that it was on its way down...wait.  No it wasn't.  The elevator had stopped on the fifteenth floor.  "Shit!  SHIIIIT!" Sam shouted to himself as he hit the page button on the armrest of the sectional couch.

"Wanda!  Vision!  You need to get on to the fifteenth floor!  I think someone is breaking Childress out!"

Stark security measures to isolate the fifteenth floor were largely meant to prevent people from outside of SHIELD's hierarchy and the Avengers from gaining unrestricted access to the captured scientist.  Stark had assumed (incorrectly) that if HYDRA was going to try to come in his building, they wouldn't use the front door.  In the case of Jasper Sitwell, that is exactly what he had done.  On his solo elevator ride, Sitwell immediately went to work to override the security protocols.  Courtesy of SHIELD, he had the finest in spy tech at his fingertips.  It was embarrassingly easy, if Sitwell was honest.

He quickly located Childress' cell.  While it was obvious that the man had not been abused, Dr. Alistair Childress was clearly off his rocker.  Whether he had driven himself mad in his isolation or his isolation had simply brought his madness to a head, Sitwell wasn't sure.  Nor did he care.  He simply wanted to get the good doctor and get out of The Tower.  He wondered if that device that Lorelei had given him would actually work as intended.  It was only meant to be used once.

Removing the small disc from his breast pocket, Sitwell grabbed Dr. Childress' bicep and pressed the button in the center.  As the disc hummed and began to glow, he threw it on the floor between them and the doorway.  He heard commotion in the hallway, just as light burst forth from the disc and engulfed him and Childress.

Vision and Wanda burst through the open door to find the room empty.  As he stooped to pick up the disc, Vision heard the faint faraway sounds of that damned tune that Childress had managed to get stuck in everyone's heads over the last weeks.

* * *

Tori was not certain how long she had been in the cell, since she passed out as soon as they dumped her on the concrete floor.  She vaguely remembered being left alone in the cold, empty room after Amora and Lorelei had gotten bored with watching a few of their muscle-bound buddies treat Tori like a human punching bag.  They had hung her from the ceiling, by a set of manacles, only giving her enough slack to stand on the tip-toes of her bare feet.  Those two bitches sat back and watched Tori get beaten systematically, taunting her all the while.

"For one that is supposed to be clever, you disappoint us, mortal.  It's a wonder that Loki hasn't figured out how to escape you and that pathetic band of so-called heroes," Amora smirked after a particularly vicious blow had landed across her left side.

Tori, despite the dull ache spreading down her arms to her shoulders and the sharp pain in her side, gifted the tall blonde with a patronizing smile.  The woman's teeth, normally a pearly white, where stained pink with her own blood from the cut on her lip.  In spite of her smile, Tori's eyes narrowed as she spoke.  "I was clever enough to keep him away from the two of you."

That earned Tori a whack across the backs of her knees with a two-by-four, causing her legs to give out and all of her weight transferred to her wrists.  She now felt the cuffs dig into her skin and blood trickled down her forearm to her elbow.

Lorelei adopted a look of faux sympathy.  "Is that what you think you did?  You think that you saved _him_?  You silly, silly mortal.  You really should have saved yourself.  Of course," Lorelei now wore a cruel smirk, "it would do you no good against what's coming for Loki."

Now Tori sat with her back to the far corner of the cell, trying to get the feeling back in her arms.  She flexed her hands and worked her elbows and shoulders, wincing in pain as the blood began to circulate through her limbs again.  She was also looking around the room, trying to figure out if she could get out.  If so, then what?  Try to steal a vehicle and head back to the others?  " _Hmph.  I don't even know where the I am.  I could be in bum-fuck Egypt for all I know._ "

What did Tori know?  She knew that she could get her hands on a weapon if she escaped; there were lots of those in crates and on racks when they dragged her through the portal.  Wherever this base was, it didn't seem to be anywhere with extreme temperatures.  The few vehicles that she had seen weren't outfitted for heavy snow or desert driving.  Nor were the people clothed for anything more than a typical Indian summer day.  She wondered how long it would take for Loki and the others to find her.  " _If they find me_ ," Tori thought grimly.

Before her thoughts could turn any darker, the door to her cell swung open.  Tori made a show of huddling in the corner, a look of wide-eyed terror on her face as she raised her arms to shield herself from the fresh blows that she pretended to anticipate.  She would lull whoever it was into a false sense of security.  That someone was Mackie, now wearing a clean Hydra uniform and carrying a tray of some rather bland looking food.  Tori watched him in silent horror, pretending to cower.  She even added a whimper for effect.  For his part, Mackie smirked at her but kept Tori at arm's length, setting the tray on the floor.  He slid it over with the toe of his boot as if Tori was a scared, wild animal.

"They've decided that you're more valuable alive," he said as kept himself between Tori and the door.  The door, Tori noted, was closed but not latched.  "Either for information or to bring Loki here.  I would advise you to comply.  If you want to live, that is."

Tori slowly crawled forward to take the tray, and swiftly retreated back to her spot in the corner to maintain the charade.  If she had learned anything in childhood, it was how to cry at will.  Tori turned on the water works and let two large tears slide down her cheeks and whispered, "Not that it really matters, does it?  As soon as you get what you want, you'll kill me anyway."

"You're too valuable an asset, Tori.  You really should come fight for the winning side.  Besides," Mackie was now leering at her, "I have no doubt what side your boyfriend will choose.  You wouldn't want to be fighting him now, would you?"

Tori had to keep him talking.  At least long enough to figure out how to get out of the cell.  That's when she saw it: her dagger (well, _Loki's_ dagger that she had no intention of returning) was on Mackie's hip.  Tori had to get him to come closer.  Much closer.  "Loki's not my boyfriend, Mackie.  He knows that I have always had eyes for someone else," she sniffled with a meaningful glance at him from under her lashes, dewey with shed tears.

Mackie was now secure in the fact that Tori was too beaten and too cowed to be a threat.  He stepped further into the cell and crouched down in front of her and reached out to tilt her face upward.  Throwing in a trembling lip for good measure Tori murmured, "You won't let anything happen to me, will you, Mackie?"

The snide contempt in Mackie's gaze was now replaced with lust.  "Oh don't you worry, Tori.  I'll take good care of you," Mackie said with the tip of his nose brushing against Tori's.

Mackie was practically mauling her pursed lips with his mouth and pawing at her breasts through her shirt.  Tori leaned closer, as if she was leaning into the "kiss."  Mackie didn't notice Tori's small hand wrap around the grip of the dagger.  Nor did he feel her draw it from its place in his belt.  He sure as hell felt the dagger being driven between his ribs as he tried to tear off Tori's t-shirt.  Mackie's eyes bulged from his head as his mouth gaped open like a fish out of water when Tori withdrew the dagger.  She swept her arm, the dagger parallel with her forearm, to slid it across his jugular.

Tori sidestepped as Mackie fell, grabbing him around the shoulders to keep him from falling too loudly.  As soon as she could, Tori began searching Mackie's pockets and undoing the holster with his sidearm.  She found a keycard clipped to the inside of his shirt pocket.  She also found two clips of ammo, a comm earpiece, and what looked like a pretty innocuous grenade.  Probably more sound than actual explosion.  Tori armed herself, then took Mackie's boots.  She knew it was bad luck to wear a dead man's boots, but she figured it was worse luck to run around barefoot.  Under different circumstances, she would've laughed at how the damn things made her look like a clown.  It wasn't until she looked down once more at Mackie's body that she realized it wasn't Mackie.  " _What the fuck?!?_ Another _shapeshifter?_ "

Tori didn't have time to wonder where the real Mackie was, or even if Mackie had really been human at all.  Slowly opening the door, she poked her head into the hallway and found it abandoned.  She had cursed the ill-lit cell, but was now grateful to find that the gloom extended down the hall in either direction.  Slinking against the wall, Tori made her way in the direction of the sounds of machinery and men's voices.  She needed to get to that hangar and get a ride out of here.  At the sound of footsteps, Tori froze.  It was just one person, most like a man.  The footsteps stopped at the opposite end of the hall.  Tori held her breath, calculating her next move.  Whoever it was turned and retreated back the way they came.  With a heavy exhale, Tori began to move with haste.  She was almost to the hangar entrance when her eyes fell on an alcove with a large sliding steel door with a card reader next to it.

Swiping the key card, the door opened for Tori and swiftly closed as soon as she stepped inside the room.  An overhead bank of fluorescent lights shed blinding light over the contents of the room.  Once Tori's eyes adjusted to the light, she began cackling like a fiend.  Why?  Because there are moments when Fate chooses to smile upon those who love to stir the pot...and this was one of those moments.


	21. Vittoria Scarpetti: Agent of SHI- Er, Sabotage

"What is taking him so long?"

The blonde was pacing back and forth in their improvised chambers within the Hydra stronghold.  If one were to consider a multi-room suite completely decorated with tapestries, ornate furniture, and priceless (otherworldly) treasures to be "improvised."  However, this was where Lorelei and Amora had been headquartered on Earth.  As far as they were concerned, anything short of the royal palace on Asgard was slumming it.  Amora, at present, was impatient to see if their guest was awake and ready to renew their...conversation.  It was bad enough that the little chit had managed to steal Loki from Lorelei.  Now she had actually attacked Amora.  And drew blood!  The wounds that the mortal had inflicted already healed, mere flesh wounds.  It was a point of pride that Amora now sought to completely break Vittoria Scarpetti.

Lorelei was seated on a divan, watching her sister work herself up.  It was amusing to see the normally cool, calm, and collected Amora in such agitation.  Amusing as it was, Lorelei knew that things could escalate quickly and reach disastrous proportions if Amora's wrath went unchecked.  "Sister, don't you think that you are wasting precious energy and focus on such a small matter?  After all, she will be easily dispatched once we have Loki and Dr. Childress.  In fact, the good doctor has only just arrived."

This news seemed to ameliorate The Enchantress.  "You are quite right, little sister.  She is a mere speck of dust.  Or will be, by the time we have accomplish all we plan here."

Amora had sent Skurge out into the facility to make his rounds, mostly to intimidate the mortals, but also to glean information with which they may not be so forthcoming.  He lumbered through the massive double doors leading to the receiving room where Amora and Lorelei were situated.  Turning to her faithful thrall, Amora offered him enough of a smile to reward him for coming back so quickly.  "Skurge, did you happen to see Agent Mackie while you were on your progress through the compound?  He was supposed to bring the woman back here to us after she had been fed and cleaned up."

Skurge shook his big, bald head.  "I have not seen him, Enchantress.  The hall in the prison wing was silent as a tomb when I went there."

Lorelei's brow furrowed.  "At the very least you should have heard conversing...or her screams.  Skurge, go back down there and retrieve Mackie from her cell."

Skurge wordlessly lowered his head in deference to his mistress's sister and departed the room.  The two sisters looked at each other, seeming to be ill at ease.  Mortals were frail, but the woman's desperation may inspire her to some new level of foolishness...or malice.

* * *

The Avengers and Asgardians had reached a remote clearing in the woods, which is where Tyr said Heimdall had lost track of Agent Scarpetti.  Along the trail, Loki had been looking for signs of struggle.  Anything to show that she was alive.  Any clue as to where she had gone.  All he had seen was the prints of her boots, which seemly stopped in the midst of the trail.  Her brother was anxiously looking, too.  Charlie saw a large red patch in the mud and immediately ran over to it.  He didn't have to touch or smell the discolored mud to know what it was.  "Blood.  Lots of it," Charlie called out. There was also a large imprint in the mud, and twin drag marks that seemingly ended in the middle of the clearing.

Loki strode over to Charlie's side.  "It's not Vittoria's.  Look," he said as he pointed to her tracks in the mud, leading away from the site.  The depth and angle of the tracks meant that she was running away.

"She didn't run far, since the tracks in the woods were hers.  She's alive, Charles."

"Loki," said Thor as he approached the other two men, "Amora clearly opened a portal here.  Can you find where it leads?"

Loki shook his head, frustration creeping into his voice.  "If I could, I would have already done so.  These," he raised his wrists, "keep me from doing so.  Or at least keep me from walking through it myself."

In the stillness of the clearing, Steve's phone began to ring.  It was Sam.  "Sam, we are in the middle of trying to find Tori," he said by way of greeting.

"Steve, the shit has hit the fan here.  Childress is gone!"

"What!?!  What do you mean 'gone?'"

Steve put Sam on speaker for everyone to hear.  "Just what do you think I mean by 'gone?'  He's fucking gone!  Like, Sitwell came in the building, hacked Tony's security, and took him!  David Blaine couldn't have done a better job of disappearing his ass!"

Loki grabbed Steve's phone.  "Wilson, you must tell me everything!  Did he leave something behind?  Did he say anything?  We need to figure out where they have taken Vittoria."

"Loki, I don't know if this will help," Vision's calm voice came through the phone, "but we are sending you the security footage with audio."

Steve's phone chimed from receiving a video file.  Loki swiped the screen and soon saw and heard Sitwell enter Childress' cell.  He then saw Sitwell remove a disc from his jacket.  Loki knew that it was a teleportation device, meant to aid those without any magical abilities.  It was meant to return to the person who enchanted it.  It would also disintegrate once it was used.  Loki listened to the audio.  There was little conversation, but...was that whistling?  " _Crazy old man_ ," Loki thought.  That is until he heard Charlie start to hum the same tune.

Whirling about, Loki grabbed Charlie by his shoulders and shook him.  "What is the meaning of that tune?  How do you know it?"

All eyes were on this scene: Loki's eyes frantic and Charlie's eyes filled with fear as he thought Loki was going to break his neck like a twig.  The song had been stuck in everyone's heads for weeks now...but Charlie had only been broken out of prison yesterday.

"It's from a musical," Charlie said with a hint of embarrassment.  "I only know this because Tori would commandeer the TV and make me watch them with her.  It's called 'Meet Me in St. Louis.'"

Loki loosened his grip on Charlie's shoulders, the younger man rubbing at his right shoulder to ease the discomfort.  "Where is St. Louis?" Loki asked.

"About 600 miles southwest of here," said Tony.  "Just within range of that signal that was sent from the generator.  It also happens to be right were two ginormous rivers meet."

Loki started crashing through the woods, back toward the jet.  "LOKI!  Wait!" Thor shouted.  "I'm flying Barton to the jet.  Save your strength!"

Loki heard his brother.  Naturally, he ignored him.  Loki needed to run.  He needed to get his adrenaline up.  He needed to focus on getting Vittoria back.  Then, if she wasn't injured, he was going to make good on that threat he made earlier.

* * *

Tori strolled out of the room as if she had just spent the day shopping.  In a way, she had.  Her blood spattered clothing was replaced with a matte black suit of armor.  It looked less earthly and more Asgardian, so she figured that she'd get style points for that.  It was surprisingly light and easy to wear.  Slung across her back was a rather large blast rifle, just like that one that Coulson really liked.  Of course, Tori also had Loki's dagger, a couple of pistols, spare power packs for the rifle, and a bandolier full of those smallish grenades like the one she had found on Mackie.  She was also sporting a helmet.  The visor had a full heads up display that gave her a 360-degree view of her surroundings, with the same the same data capabilities that Tony's suit seem to have.  " _So much for SHIELD's R &D being air-tight_," Tori thought as she crept along and eavesdropped on the comm channel.  So far, it seemed that her escape had not been discovered.

She wasn't quite ready to give up the element of surprise yet.  In fact, Tori wanted to hide a few little surprises along her way out.  Removing one of the grenades from her belt, Tori set the timer.  " _An hour ought to do it_ ," said thought with a smirk behind the helmet's visor.

So she went, placing a grenade here and there, marking the time that she set the first one.  It was like an Easter egg hunt.  Except Tori hoped that these particular "Easter eggs" were going to a lot more damage than stinking up the backyard if left in the sun for too long.  " _Yeah.  Those bitches are gonna be fucking livid._  C'est la vie," Tori chuckled to herself.  " _Too bad Loki's not here.  I'll bet he loves blowing shit up._ "

Clinging to the shadows along the walls and between crates and cargo containers, Tori watched as this army of Chitauri/human hybrids seemed to be mobilizing.  The giant bay doors of the building were open now, revealing the rest of a large compound surrounded by dense forest.  It was dusk, wherever they were.  The full moon rose over the landscape beyond the floodlights on the inside of the fence.  As the hybrids took up their ranks, they marched outside.  These were different from the ones they fought in Pittsburgh.  Those had been more zombie-like.  The ones Tori now saw were seemed to have more awareness.  " _Great.  That's just what we needed, isn't it?_ "

Along with the hybrids, she saw Hydra personnel pouring into the hangar.  They were fitted and kitted with the same armor but their weapons were more like the Chitauri's.  She kept on setting grenades, mostly in spots that would help collapse the building.  She found a crate full of grenades and put one in there, for good measure.  Now she had three left on the bandolier.  She had just sealed up the create when she heard sirens blaring throughout the building.  A voice came over the speakers of the PA system: "Prisoner Escape: Caucasian female, early 30s.  Medium height, with dark hair and light eyes.  To be taken alive.  Repeat: Take her alive!"

Now, hybrids were searching for her.  Patrols of three walked the perimeter of compound and started peering between stacks of equipment, heading right for her.  Tori powered up the the rifle, feeling the weapon energize in her hands.  "Oh.  This is gonna be interesting," Tori chuckled to herself as she stepped into the path of the three men headed her way.

"Stop right th-" A burst of red-hot energy sizzled through the air, cutting him off and effectively vaporizing the three hybrids and setting fire to the crates closest to Tori's targets.  Surprisingly, there was little recoil.

The shouts of men and hybrids filled the air, since she had given away her position with that first shot.  It was time to hustle out the door.  Keeping her back to the wall, Tori began to open fire as she spotted hostiles between the crates.  They were all converging on her position.  Not smart, since Tori could hold the trigger and lay down a withering spray of blaster fire. She was cutting a swath across the hangar, leaving charred remains of soldiers and weaponry.  There was nothing between her and the doorway or the chain linked fence beyond that.  " _This is way too easy,_ " she thought.

A mountain of a man with a bald head stepped into the middle of the yard.  He was armed with a rifle in each hand and grinning at Tori.  "Well.  The bigger they are, the harder they fall," she muttered to herself.  She turned and fired on this new adversary, hitting him squarely in the chest.  The blast rifle only knocked him back a few steps, the man remained on his feet.

"Oh.  Shit," Tori squeaked.  Taking aim at the man's face, Tori pulled the trigger and...nothing.  The energy pack on the rifle had run low.  She drew her pistols and began to empty both clips at the man.  Bullets bounced off his armor, but Tori could've sworn that she had made several headshots.  They appeared to have as much affect as a housefly.  She dropped both empty pistols and tossed two grenades.  One between her and giant, the other between her and the advancing cadre of Chitauri and men.  Tori dropped the rifle's spent energy pack and slammed a fresh one in the chamber.

The grenades detonated, but not as Tori expected.  There was a boom.  Then a vortex opened up were each grenade had landed. They began to suck everything to it.  Rocks, soil, bits of the building, people.  Including Tori.  Her feet slid on the gravel and dirt as she was pulled along, in spite of her backpedaling.  Even energy blasts were taken by the vortices, as evidenced by the the few shots she took with the rifle.  As suddenly as they had opened, the vortices vanished.  Finding Tori mere feet from the hulking man.  Before Tori could pull the trigger, he had her in a bear hug and squeezed her until she passed out.

* * *

He was seated at the rear of the cargo bay.  Hands clinching his knees, knuckles white with the pressure of his grip.  No one dared approached Loki in this state.  Even the Asgardians, who were used to his moods, treated him with kid gloves.  The only other person on the jet that reached Loki's level of agitation was Charlie.  He was seated on the bench opposite Loki.  Also not saying anything, his jaw tense and the look in his eye evident that he was planning to visit pain and destruction on those had taken his sister.  Charlie, however, was obviously the more approachable of the two.  Thor seated himself next to Charlie.  "Tori said that you were in the military as well, Charlie?"

Charlie blinked as his brought his thoughts back to the present and turned to the big blond warrior.  "Yes.  I was in the Air Force."

He added with a small smile, "Broke Dad's heart, his two youngest joining branches other than the Army.  He and my brothers started teasing us.  They called Tori 'the sea hag' and called me 'flyboy.'"

"Did Tori actually spend time at the sea?"

"She did two tours on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.  The rest of the time, she was at a weapons testing station in California.  I think that's where she developed a taste for explosives.  Actually," Charlie paused for a bit.  "Nah.  She was taking apart fireworks and Dad's shotgun shells when she was twelve.  I had never really seen Nonna mad until Tori started blowing up watermelons and pumpkins in her garden."

A voice from across the bay joined the conversation.  "Would she know how to survive in the wilderness if she was injured or under-equipped?"

Charlie and Thor looked at Loki, who still had the look of a man that was plotting terrible and well-earned vengeance.  He seemed to also be building contingencies into his plan.  Charlie replied, "We used to hunt and fish with our Dad and brothers.  I know that Tori also had survival training in the Navy.  She's tough, but it would all depend on if she could escape and what sort of shape's she in."

Loki seemed to consider Charlie's words.  "She's clever.  If given an opening, she will escape.  Was there any luck in finding it from the air?"

Tony heard Loki's question and was able to answer, "We got our hands on every piece of satellite imagery we could find.  Infrared, real-time video, even transpiration data on the trees.  We overlapped the images and found three possible locations.  One we could rule out because its a SHIELD location.  Of the other two, there was a really small one.  Probably a bootlegger or pot farm.  The other, well, it's too big to be civilians."

As he was speaking, Tony pulled up a screen to show everyone what Friday had analyzed.  The largest location had a suspicious lack of traffic or passable roads, but there was increasing activity in the video feed.  Loki was not completely paying attention to it, until...he suddenly leaned forward and jabbed his finger at the video.  "There!  Zoom in on that!"

Tony enlarged the video screen and the image resolution sharpened to show a small figure clad in black armor, firing a large gun at swarming creatures and a large, solitary figure.  The smaller person stopped shooting the large gun, but appeared to now shoot with sidearms.  Then she (Loki assumed by its stature) threw two objects which became swirling, greedy voids.  Stark increased the zoom on the video.  Loki instantly recognized the larger of the two figures, leaving no doubt in his mind that they had found her.  "Skurge!  That must mean that Amora is there."

The video continued as Skurge picked Tori up.  Once her body went limp, Skurge ripped the helmet from her head.  Tori's dark hair spilled out across her face, which was pale from having the air squeezed from her.  Loki's eyes narrowed as he watched Amora's favorite thrall carry her back into the large building.  " _He is going to die a slow and painful death.  That much I know_ ," Loki began to play out various ways to inflict his rage upon Skurge and his mistress.

* * *

Tori woke when she was doused from head to toe with icy cold water.  Sputtering and gasping for air, she found herself in a woefully familiar position.  Only this time, she had been stripped of all but her undergarments.  Rather than being joined by Hydra henchmen, Tori only spied Amora, Lorelei, and that big bastard that had picked her up and made her pass out.  Dripping wet and shivering, Tori tried to level a menacing glare at the three of them.

"Ah, I see that you are awake now," Amora said with voice that sounded saccharine laced with strychnine.  "You have caused so much trouble in such a short amount of time.  I am beginning to understand your appeal to the God of Mischief."

The blonde slunk closer to Tori, now revealing a whip in her right hand.  She place the end of the whip handle at Tori's temple and slowly stroked her cheek with it.  When she reached Tori's jaw, Amora pulled the handle away.  Before Tori could reply, Amora backhanded her with the whip handle.  Tori could feel the welt and taste blood from where she had bitten the inside of her cheek.  The woman spit a glob of blood-tinged salvia at The Enchantress.  Her aim was true; it landed on the toe of Amora's boot.

With disdain and rage, Amora shook out the whip as she spoke.  "You clearly have a death-wish, mortal.  I shall try not to kill you before Loki arrives, but I cannot make any promises."  The cold water clearly wasn't meant to just wake her.  Tori keenly felt the sting of that first blow.  And every blow after that.  Amora seemed to be no stranger to inflicting pain.  While their earlier interaction seemed to have a rhythm to it, one man beating her then another, Amora waited just long enough to let the pain subside.  Longer, if she wanted to give Tori false hope.

Amora also seemed to know that Tori would let her mind drift as a defense mechanism.  Whenever her eyes glazed over, Amora would stop and deliver a sharp slap to Tori's cheek.  "We will have none of that, mortal.  You _will_ feel each strike.  Whipping isn't the only torment I can concoct."

So things continued.  First Amora, then Lorelei.  When Tori's screams lack sufficient feeling, Lorelei turned to sister, "Perhaps we should heal her a bit?  Or else let Skurge have fun with her.  She seems to be numb to our attentions."

Tori's head lolled forward, her chin resting on her chest.  She felt her back had been flayed open now.  Her arms had lost feeling long ago and her legs could no longer support her.  Another bucket of near-frozen water awoke her near-dead nerves and renewed the pain of the welts and open wounds.  Her back arched away, in vain, from the water.  This caused her to lift her head...and catch a glimpse of a familiar pale face with glowing green eyes.

Loki stood in the shadows, moving only his hand as he raised a long finger to his lips.  Tori knew that she need to buy him time and distract the others.  So she did the only thing she could do in her position: she mumbled something.

Circling back around to face her, Amora and Lorelei looked down at Tori.  "What did you say, mortal?"

Tori raised her head, mustering all the defiance and rage she had left.  "I said, 'Go fuck yourselves, you rancid hags!'"

Both women allowed their tempers to get the better of them.  Taking turns, they began to beat Tori with closed fists and shrieking incoherently.  Tori twisted this way and that, each blow causing the manacles to dig further into her wrists until her hands, covered in her own blood, slipped through.  The moment that she collapsed on the floor, Amora and Lorelei began to stomp and kick at her.  One of them stepped on Tori's leg, resulting the loud crack of breaking bone.  Tori screamed in pain.  The stomping ended at that.  Both women were knock off their feet in a flash of green and gold.

Tori saw Loki standing over her, like a ferocious wolf protecting its mate.  He snarled like one, too.  "YOU TWO!  You have no idea the pain that I have in store for you!  Whatever you have done to her will be visited upon you tenfold and then some.  If you are lucky, you will die before I have finished with you!  I would not count on it, though."

She couldn't see what Loki had done to the two Asgardian women, but she could hear faint whimpers from the far wall.  Followed by pleas that were suddenly cut off.  She then felt Skurge's heavy footfalls approaching.  Again, Tori was not able to lift her head or move, but she heard a struggle.  The shuffling of feet, the sound of a fist landing on leather, followed by a grunt from Loki.  She then heard the sound a blade being plunged into flesh and sickening sound of it being withdrawn.  A crack and a heavy thud told Tori that the struggle was over.  Tori saw Loki's boots enter her field of vision.

"Vittoria?  Darling, I need you to put your arms around my neck," Loki said as he knelt beside her.

" _I must be really out of it_ ," Tori thought.  " _He sounds worried._ "  She tried to get her hands underneath her to push up.  Slipping in water and her own blood, Tori felt herself falling face-first.  She then felt Loki's arms wrapped around her torso.  He gently turned her onto her backside, but could not avoid brushing against Tori's back.  She cried out at this.

"I am so sorry, Vittoria.  I know it hurts.  Let me help you lift your arms, but you must clasp them around my neck.  Yes?"

Tori made a noise that sounded like consent.  She winced at being lifted, but once Loki had her situated in his arms, she tightened her grip about his neck and shoulders.  Keying up his commlink, Loki spoke aloud.  "I have her.  No, stay there.  I'm coming to you."

A gust of wind and the feeling of the world moving around them was followed by the sound Bruce gasping, "My God!  Get her over here so I can start treating her!"

Loki slowly lowered Tori onto a tabletop, rolling her onto her stomach.  She felt his hand brush her hair from her brow, then felt something soft and cool brush against her cheek.  She heard Loki say, "I will be right back, Vittoria.  I just need to take care of a few things."

Tori's hand shot out and grabbed his, panic in her eyes.  "Loki!  The grenades.  They -"

"Yes, I know what they do.  I'll be careful."

"No!" Tori croaked from her throat being dry.  "I set a bunch around the facility to go off.  I put one in a crate full of grenades."

Loki's eyes widen in horror at what she was saying.  He said something in Old Norse that sounded like "OH FUCK!"

"Vittoria, what time was that?"

Tori grabbed Bruce's wrist and looked at his watch and replied, "You have 10 minutes until the first one explodes."

Loki whirled about and began shouting into his comm, "You all need to evacuate.  NOW!  Vittoria rigged that whole building with the anti-matter grenades."

There was a pause.  "No, I don't know how many or where, but she said that first will go off in less than ten minutes.  She also set a whole crate of them!"

Another pause.  "Stark!  Whatever it is that you've found, I'm sure that Vittoria has ensured its destruction.  Just leave now!"

"You have Childress?  Good."  Loki turned back to Tori and took her hand.  "I must go, dear girl.  I will see you soon."

" _See me soon?  Where's he going?_ "  Tori thought as the sedative Bruce gave her began to take hold.  The last thing she remembered seeing was Loki's eyes filled with concern and something else.


	22. While You Were Out...

_ Earlier _

Before the jet had dropped everyone just inside the compound, Loki had insisted on being the vanguard.  All by himself.  The others, especially Charlie and Thor, had protested.  In the end, they couldn't argue against Loki's logic.  "I need to locate Vittoria before we take the compound.  After what she did earlier, they are on edge.  There is no way that we can all enter quietly.  The fewer we have, the better."

"Brother, will you be able to summon enough of your magic to battle both Amora and Lorelei?" Thor asked as he glanced down at Loki's wrists.  The cuffs appeared to be tarnished.  It may have been a trick of the light or if it was grime from the day's earlier battle.  The torc about his brother's neck also seemed discolored.

Loki gave his brother a hard look before he responded.  "I don't know, Thor.  I truly don't know.  I can only hope that the Allfather is true to his word and that these charming devices allow me full access to my powers in defense of an innocent life or my own.  Otherwise," he now looked about the cargo bay at all present, "you need to make sure that she is safe.  Then, and only then, may you destroy the building and its contents."

"Loki-"

"Thor, you must swear it!  Vittoria comes out of this alive.  At all costs."

The steady hum of the jet's engines was the only thing to be heard as they all considered what Loki was saying.  It seemed to be no surprise to Charlie or Thor, but the rest of the Avengers were having a hard time believing their ears.

"You have my word, Loki.  Though, I hardly think it is necessary.  After all," Thor said with a grin, "we've been in worse scrapes than this."

Loki offered a wry smile in return, "You know as well as I, brother, that things don't always go according to plan."

The jet landed outside of the compound's radar detection.  Everyone agreed to give Loki ten minutes to locate Tori.  If he had not been heard from by then, they'd go in with guns blazing.  Charlie suited up with the rest, donning SHIELD-issued body armor and weapons.  They all switched on their comms and waited.  Charlie paced up and down the length of the cargo bay, everyone else's sympathetic eyes following him.  Bruce would remain on the jet, unless called upon.  He began to arrange medical supplies so that he could treat Tori for any wounds that she may have.  Even if he couldn't completely patch her up, Bruce wanted to be able to provide enough treatment to make her ride back to SHIELD as comfortable as possible.  Plus, this simple task gave him something to do to keep The Other Guy at bay.

Everyone collectively jumped when they heard Loki's voice over the commlink.  "I am inside the building right now.  There are prison cells, one of which was very recently occupied.  No other sign of Vittoria."

"I don't get it.  Why doesn't she use that bracelet that she's used call on you before?" asked Clint.

"Because," Loki replied, "The Enchantress has no doubt safeguarded this place from her ability to use it.  She learned from Lorelei's mistake at the mine."

Loki's comm suddenly went silent.  Everyone looked around anxiously.  Just as suddenly, he was back.  "I just heard her.  She is several floors above me."

Loki had cloaked himself from prying eyes and ears upon entering the compound.  Amora had tried enchantments to prevent him from doing so, but they were easily broken.  Even in his weaken state, which didn't seem nearly so weak of late.  Loki glanced down at the cuffs.  If he didn't know any better, they weren't just tarnished.  He saw hairline fissures appear in each one.  Loki wasn't going to worry about that now.  He had to get to Vittoria before anymore harm could come to her.   Loki now heard the crack of a whip, punctuated by her screams as he exited the stairwell.  At once, he was consumed by infinite rage for the vicious harpies responsible.  He teleported into the room, remaining cloaked as he did.

He wrestled with his own desire to tear Amora and Lorelei to shreds at the sight that met his eyes.  Amora was watching her sister lash Vittoria's back which was already already raw.  Amora must have gotten in her licks first.  Lorelei was not as skilled with a whip as her sister; if Skurge had been given a chance, Vittoria would be dead.  Speaking of Skurge, he now held a large bucket filled with water.  Tori cried in anguish as the water came into contact with her skin.  It brought her from her pain-induced stupor; Vittoria's eyes came into sharp focus as if awakened from a trance.  Loki had to let her know the he was there, that help had arrived.  He emerged from the shadows, just for her sight.  It was enough to bring about her wits.

That brilliant woman!  That brilliant, reckless woman!  Loki wanted to cheer at what she had done.  He also wanted to throttle her for being so foolhardy with her own safety.  She had driven the sisters to lose their tempers and focus their attention on her.  Loki mounted a surprise attack.  As much to his surprise, as Amora and Lorelei's.  Summoning his strength to his fingertips, he began to cast the spells he needed to both drive them back and fix them in place with shackles that manifested from the wall.  It was in that moment, that the cuffs and torc crumbled to dust.  Unfettered magic now coursed through him.  He would revel in the sensation later.  In that moment, he had to put those two "rancid hags" in their place.

Few things in Loki's life were more satisfying than seeing the shock and amazement on the faces of his foes.  Especially those that underestimated him.  Now, Amora and Lorelei began to beg for mercy.

"Oh please, Your Highness!  We did not realize how precious she was to you!" cried Lorelei with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Amora was just as supplicatory as her sister, "She is right, Loki!  She is only a mortal.  How could we know that she held your favor?"

"We did not know!  Please, forgive our ignorance!  We only did as we were tol-"

Their pleas fell on deaf ears.  " _Wouldn't you just know it_ ," Loki thought as he bestowed wicked grin upon the sisters, " _I am fresh out of mercy_."

He would deal with them more thoroughly, and at his leisure.  He banished them to a dimension of suspended animation.  While there, they would be together, but isolated from their powers and each other.  Only their thoughts would keep them company.  It was their thoughts, Loki surmised, that would torture them more acutely than anything else.  For now.  Loki did not know if he planned to leave them there for weeks, months, or years.  He would have to give it more thought.

That only left one threat in the room: Skurge.  Big, overpowering brute that he was, he put up quite a fight.  However, much like the martial training of his youth, Loki was able to use his agility and magic to gain the upper hand.  Skurge managed to land a few blows, and slammed Loki backward into the wall.  However, Loki gained the upper hand when Skurge turned to grab Loki about the neck to crush his windpipe.  Loki stabbed him repeatedly in the gut then broke the arm attached to Skurge's offending hand.  Leaving him to bleed out, Loki gingerly collected Vittoria from where she lay on the floor.  He glared at The Executioner, daring him to give chase.  Skurge only looked on with contempt for the Trickster.  It was then that Loki made the snap decision to banish Skurge as well.  It certainly wasn't for mercy's sake.

Unhindered by Odin's punishment, Loki teleported Vittoria with ease.  As much as he wished to remain at her side, Loki knew that he couldn't stay.  He left her in Banner's care.  He didn't know what possessed him, but he kissed her before leaving.  It was about as innocent as Loki ever got, only the barest brush of his lips against her cheek.  Once Vittoria slipped under the influence of whatever drug the doctor had given her, Loki brushed his knuckles against her cheek.  "I leave her in your care, Dr. Banner.  She's too stubborn to take care of herself, otherwise."

Loki vanished just as suddenly as he had appeared, leaving a perplexed Bruce to dress Tori's wounds and attempt to set her broken leg.  Bruce quickly abandoned any hope of setting the leg.  It had been completely crushed.  By what, Bruce did not know.  He only knew that if Loki hadn't already killed whoever was responsible, they were already dead and didn't know it.

* * *

Tony and Charlie were scoping out the portal generator, the _real_ portal generator, when they heard Loki's tense voice over their comms.  Apparently, Tori the Terrible had struck again!  If they had been safely away and back on the jet, the idea of Hydra being surprised by the sudden implosion of their compound would've made for a great war story.  Right now, it was causing Tony to have a minor panic attack.  "Holy shit!  What are we supposed to do with this?  We have to make sure it's destroyed!"

Loki chastened Tony, saying that he was sure Tori had made sure whatever was in the compound would be rendered useless.  Still, Tony didn't like the idea of leaving a job half done.  He looked at Charlie and said, "Well, go big or go home.  C'mon, Scarpetti!  Let's rig the explosives, then get out of here."  Charlie started placing charges on the weakest parts of the structure.

Thor and the other Asgardians had been busy fighting off the Chitauri hybrids that swarmed into the main yard from the buildings and even the surrounding woods.  In Tori's earlier engagement with the enemy, she had managed to scatter a few squadrons of them into the woods.  They were now coming back, following the sounds of battle.  "These are by far the ugliest creatures that we have ever battled," Fandral called out to his comrades.

"Not true, my friend!  Remember the Cerulion invasion of Vanaheim?" shouted Volstagg.

Sif shield-bashed one Chitauri and hacked at another.  "Don't remind me!  I even get sick at the sight of garden slugs now."

Natasha had just zapped one with her Widow's Bite as she came upon the Asgardians.  "Don't worry about it.  Clint can't handle snakes."

"Hey!  That's because I got shoved into a pit of them," Clint was taking shots from the roof.  "Then Loki decided to turn my waffles into snakes!"

"I did not turn your breakfast into snakes, Barton.  I only made you _think_ I had done so," Loki's voice crackled over the comm.

Steve's voice could be heard now, "Loki, how are we on the countdown?"

"You have four minutes and counting.  I think that it's time for everyone to beat a hasty retreat," Loki said.

"Copy that.  I have Childress," replied Steve.

"You heard the man.  Let's bounce," said Tony.  He grabbed a hold of Charlie and flew back to the jet.

Everyone else pulled back and got on the jet.  Everyone, that is, except for Loki.  Thor was standing on the gangplank, motioning for everyone to hurry up and board.  Then he saw Loki.  The brothers' eyes met.  "Loki!  What are you doing?  Get aboard!"

Loki shook his head and held up his hands, showing Thor that the cuffs were now gone.  "I am sorry, brother.  I have to go now, but I shall return."

"Loki, no!  What will I tell Tori?"

"Tell her that..."  Loki didn't know what to say.  Words simply deserted him at this moment.  "Tell her that I will come back to her.  I promise."

With those parting words, Loki vanished.  Thor saw the compound begin to collapse on itself.  This collapse grew and began to take in the surrounding landscape.  The jet took off, leaving the ground and the vortex's radius of influence just as it began to tug at it.  Wherever his brother had gone, Thor certainly hoped that Loki would keep his promise.

* * *

Everything was blurry around the edges, emerging from the darkness.

Tori couldn't see everything but could feel that she was being rushed somewhere.  Noises were muffled, as if she was hearing them from underwater.  Footfalls were soft thuds.  People shouting to each other unintelligibly.  The only one she could hear clearly was Bruce, who must've been close to Tori as she was wheeled around on the gurney.

"Helen!  We need to operate on her leg before we put her in there.  Her femur is broken in two places, she has a dislocated patella, and her tibia is shattered!"

A woman, whose voice she didn't recognize, was now at Bruce's side.  "Holy fuck, Bruce!  What happened to her?"

"Long story, short?  She got curb-stomped by a couple of Asgardians."

The woman's voice was filled with revulsion, "Loki did this?"

"No, Helen!  He's the one that saved her!  It was the one we had been hunting for and her sister."

"Oh," Helen's voice was now meek with shame.  "I shouldn't have assumed -"

"That's right.  You shouldn't," Charlie voice was irate.  "He's the only reason Tori's still breathing!  Has he proven himself enough to you people?"

Tori wanted to calm her brother.  She tried to lift her hand to reach out, but couldn't.  She was so weak that couldn't even open her eyes now.  Even without seeing him, Tori knew Charlie's eyes were filled with tears as he whispered to her.  "Hang in there, sis.  I need someone to keep bailing me out and keep everyone else on their toes."

Silence and darkness enveloped her senses again as she felt the foot of the gurney push open the double doors to the OR.

_Three Days Later _

Tori opened her eyes just a crack and immediately shut them.  " _Too bright_ ," she thought.

The bright, antiseptic white and smells of bandages and iodine told Tori that had awakened in the medical bay at The Tower.  She tried to roll over, but couldn't.  She felt her right leg was in a hip cast and elevated.  Everything came back to her in a flood.  The Hydra compound, her escape attempt, the beatings, Loki saving her.  " _Loki..._ "

Tori's eyes snapped open and she sat up.  She pressed the call button on the bed, marveling at the fact that she could lay on her back without pain.  Bruce swiftly walked into her room, "Hey!  You're looking much better, Tori.  Here," he poured her a glass of water, "you could probably use this."

He was right.  Her mouth was dry as a bucket of sand.  Greedily, Tori guzzled the proffered glass of water.  "Take it easy, Tori.  You'll make yourself sick if you drink too fast," Bruce chuckled as he took the empty glass from her.  He refilled it.  This time, Tori sipped from the glass.

Bruce was checking her eyes and vitals when Tori asked, "How long was I out?"

"Three days.  We had to operate on you.  We thought it best to keep you sedated heavily to give your body a chance to heal," he replied gravely.

"Oh," Tori replied softly.  She wasn't medically savvy, but she knew that was a big deal.  "I noticed my back doesn't hurt."

"Yeah, Dr. Cho used the Cradle to repair and replace tissue.  We even had to use it on your broken bones.  Below the knee was shattered and would've needed pins or prosthesis.  We don't know if your leg is completely set, so you'll still be bed-ridden for the rest of the week.  If the X-rays and bone density tests come back good, then we will see about an air cast."

Tori was about to ask where Loki was, when she heard the sounds of many feet rushing down the hall.  A chorus of cheerful voices greeted her, all belonging to everyone who had been along for the crazy ride...save one.  Charlie shouldered his way into the room, wrapping his arms around his sister.  "Nonna's been worried sick!  She's on her way here, along with Mom and Dad."

"I'm glad to see that you are doing better, Tori," Thor came to her brother's side.  Tori smiled her thanks, but Thor could see her eyes roaming the assembled crowd that spilled into the hallway.

Leaning over and lowering his voice Thor said, "He wanted me to tell you that he promised to come back."

"I see," Tori smile faltered a bit.  She couldn't help it.  After all that she and Loki had been through, she really wanted his to be one of the first faces that she saw.

The rest of her morning was spent visiting with everyone, regaling them with the Tale of How Vittoria Scarpetti Impersonated the God of Mischief and Bit off More Than She Could Chew.

When she told everyone about the weapons cache and her one-woman assault on Hydra's compound, Natasha and Clint both exchanged a look.  "You mean to say that it was gear you recognized from SHIELD's R&D?  When you're feeling better, we will need you to address the World Security Council.  The security breach must reach further than we imagined," said Natasha.

"Still," said Clint, "that was pretty impressive.  But...impersonating Loki?   _Loki_!?!"

Tori shrugged, "Well, yeah.  They weren't going to screw with me if that thought that I was someone important.  Or if they thought that I could actually beat the shit out of them."

"I think you did a great job of that without being Loki," Tony snorted.  "By the way, you must be spending way too much time with Reindeer Games if you can actually _act_ like him."

Fandral spoke up, "I must say that I concur with the Man of Iron.  You are far too sweet to behave so badly, Lady Vittoria."

Tori cocked an eyebrow in his direction.  "It may shock you, Fandral, to learn that Loki and I are probably more alike than you think.  He has the capacity to be sweet, when he choses.  It's not my fault that he tends to keep those instances few and far between."

She noticed a lot of looks being exchanged, the mood a little tense.  "No one has seen him since, have they?"

More nervous shifting weight from one foot to the next and a lack of eye contact told Tori all she needed to know.  "Look, it's okay.  I can call on him, now that I'm awake."

Thor cleared his throat.  "Um, Tori?  Loki had somehow freed himself of his restraints.  That bracelet of yours will no longer call him to you.  He promised that he would return but he did not say when."

She nodded with a weak smile and quietly said, "I'm sorry, guys.  I know it's silly since I've been out for three days, but I'm tired."

"We understand, Tori.  Get some rest," Charlie said has he gave her another hug.  "I'll come have dinner with you later, okay?"

"Thanks, Charlie.  I'll see you later."

Everyone said their goodbyes, Bruce being the last to leave after giving Tori some medication to help her rest easier.  She sat in the quiet of the room, thinking about everything that had happened in the last weeks.  She didn't realize that she was crying until the tears landed on the back of her hand.  The meds kicked in as her head sank back into the pillows and slipped into a dreamless slumber.  She didn't even noticed a pair of green eyes peering at her from the reflection in the window.

* * *

Damn, it felt good to have his full range of powers back!  The first thing Loki had done, after teleporting away from Thor and the others, was to shape shift.  While his Aesir form was his go-to, he enjoyed the freedom that came with his various other forms.  The first form he took was that of a wolf with sable fur and bright green eyes.  He ran freely through the Canadian wilderness, unmolested by other wolves in the area.  Mostly.  There were a few females that had not been claimed.  They followed him for a while, but upon realizing he was not one of them, gave him wide berth in his course through the mountains.

After having his run as a wolf, Loki took to the air.  Not as an eagle or any other raptor.  Oh, no.  He decided to use the isolation to his advantage and became a dragon.  Just like the one that he had conjured when he helped Vittoria free her brother from prison.  He flew threw the air, skimming the tops of trees and perching atop craggy mountains, capped with snow.  The cold, thin air was refreshing.  Bright sunlight glistened on the mountainous glaciers and revealed the iridescent sheen of his black scales.

He went on what could best be described as a shapeshifting bender.  Across all Nine Realms.  Loki had to be careful, of course.  Thor and the Warriors Three had crossed his path while he was on Nowhere.  It was only by taking the form of a Krylorian barmaid that he had evaded detection.  Although, Fandral pinched him on the ass.  This got Fandral a lap full of steaming hot Centaurian ale.  Fandral the Dashing was lucky that it was only the ale.  Centaurian distilled spirits were decidedly less benign.

Loki's wandering was not aimless.  He went about as discreetly as he could and gathered information about what, exactly, Amora and Lorelei had gotten into their heads.  Or, more accurately, _who_.  His various sources of information corroborated his suspicions: Thanos was seeking revenge for Loki's failure to obtain the Tesseract.  The Mad Titan was systematically seeking out all of Loki's former acquaintances and current adversaries to use as his surrogates.  All sources indicated the same thing.  Thanos wanted him brought back alive.

In all of his shifting, Loki thoughts continuously turned back to Vittoria.  By now, she and her brother were safely back at SHIELD.  They would no doubt continue their work to stop Hydra and further dismantle everything that Lorelei and Amora had built.  Without Lorelei to hold Hydra under her spell, the organization would once again be in disarray.  At least until another figurehead rose to take her place.  He occasionally peeked in on her using a scrying mirror, either looking through the reflection of the glass on the window or in the mirror above the sink in her room.  She seemed to sleep a lot.  Loki chalked this up to her injuries needing to heal.  When she wasn't sleeping, Vittoria was with her brother.  A few times, Loki saw her with Thor's mortal ladylove and Dr. Foster's assistant.  While her health improved, she seemed unusually melancholy.

He knew it was only a matter of time before someone, with or without Thanos' influence, would make another run at him.  He need some place away from SHIELD that he could hide.  Some place he could relax.  It had to be on Earth, though.  Where he could bring Vittoria.  " _What?  No!  This is just for me,_ " he argued with himself.

Still, Loki returned to Midgard, scouring the globe until he found _the_ perfect spot.  It was so obvious; no one would ever look for him there.  Who would think to look for a Norse god hiding in Scandinavia?

The views were breathtaking!  The house that Loki built was reminiscent of the royal summer retreat on the lakes of Vanaheim.  That palace was his mother's ancestral home, which was part of her dowry when she married Odin.  Loki's residence, however, was also outfitted with certain Midgardian comforts to which he had grown accustomed.  Namely, a home theatre and recreation room similar to the one that Stark had in The Tower.  Loki would never admit it to the man's face, but Stark knew how to entertain.  The gardens sloped down toward the shores of a large lagoon.  The waters were a vibrant blue from the mineralogy of the waters and, thanks to geothermal activity, were always a comfortable temperature for swimming.  Of course, he hid his sanctuary from view with enchantments.  Only those meant to see his home would see it.  To others, only the stark beauty of glacier-scoured rocks and lichen green tundra would be visible.

After Loki returned to Midgard, he spent one day wandering and a day and a half of building his humble abode.  Loki tried to enjoy his handiwork once he was finished.  He sat beside the massive hearth in his library to read, but grew restless.  He went down to the water for a swim, which was refreshing but only for little while.  He sat on the veranda at sunset with a bottle of Asgardian wine that he had smuggled with him to Midgard, but he wasn't exactly content (even though it was his favorite vintage).  He tossed and turned in his massive bed (another piece of Asgardian contraband), but sleep would not find him.  Without thinking (Loki's only thought was to conjure a sleep aid) he produced a blanket from thin air.  It didn't occur to him that it was Vittoria's, the very same one that she had given him to use when he stayed in her tiny apartment.  He breathed in the scent of the blanket, relaxing him.  " _It's too quiet here.  Maybe I should bring Vittoria to visit..._ "

He shook his head vehemently.  " _No.  No, no, no!  I can't go back there.  Not yet._ "

Loki needed time, or so he thought, to sort out his feelings with regard to Vittoria Scarpetti.  When he had first met her, it was only supposed to be a bit of fun.  A mortal with a taste for making trouble and possessing some wit, who was otherwise relatively harmless.  That quickly fell apart, as it was evident that she was prone to more trouble than even he was willing to entertain.  He had been mad at her for putting herself in danger, time and again.  He thought that would be the end of it.  Then she went and did the unexpected: she rescued him!  Not only that, she helped him hide and then tricked Hydra into taking her in his place.  Ultimately, she needed rescuing so he consider the favor returned.  And yet...

The time they had spent together, training, working, and their downtime, revealed that she was not simply a clever mortal.  She was more like him, or at least the way he was before he found out his true parentage, than he had imagined.  Vittoria was a strange combination of cultured and crass; her language at times profound and profane.  She was a fierce combatant but also capable of levity, bordering on the absurd.  His few companions often described Loki as a walking contradiction.  It seemed that Vittoria not only understood it but enjoyed the same distinction.

He could only be angry about one thing: the danger in which she put herself on a routine basis.  Loki couldn't have it.  He just would not allow it any longer!

He had thought to stay away, trying once more to distance himself.  Hence he tripping through space for, what he figured was 3 weeks on Midgard.

He would check in on her, without her knowledge, but that wasn't enough.  He had to know, once and for all.  Loki had no reason to hope for anything more than friendship from the woman; he would not breathe a word of his deepest, truest feelings to anyone.  Not until he was certain that she wouldn't reject him.  Even then, Loki would most likely keep them to himself.  

But...she was a SHIELD agent and technically his "co-worker."  Did not her brother and cousin (even Vittoria, herself!) mention that she would not get romantically involved with a co-worker?  He supposed that he absence for more than a few days acted has his resignation.  Which, Loki was happy to note, would make him a _former_ co-worker, at best.  Upon further introspection, Loki concluded that they weren't co-workers, since he was never a member of SHIELD.

Loki's thoughts continued this way until he decided to teleport to The Tower.  He just needed to see her.  That didn't mean she needed to know he was watching.  He assumed that she would still be in the medical bay, given the extent of her injuries when he rescued her.  He wandered from room to room, seeking her out.  All of the rooms were neatly made up and devoid of any personal items.  However, he heard voices elsewhere on the floor.  Loki proceed down the hall, until he happened upon the physical therapy room.  Gone was Vittoria's full-leg cast.  She now wore a large brace from her knee to her ankle.  It was articulated so she could do the exercises that the SHIELD-employed PT was showing her.  Loki watched as Vittoria focused intently on the therapist's instructions and pushed herself to complete the prescribed number of sets.  The therapist kept asking if she was alright.  Vittoria responded that she was fine and could do more.  Loki knew better. She was pushing her limits.

She also went through a training routine for the rest of her body, to maintain the strength of her other leg, her arms, and the other muscle groups.  By the end of the hour, Loki saw that she was exhausted.  He gave her enough privacy to let her return to her quarters and shower.  He loitered in her living area, still invisible and silent.  Scattered about the living room, there were floral arrangements and a collection of "get well" cards and stuffed animals.  One floral arrangement particular stood out: the flowers were clearly from Asgard and was so ostentatious that it could only have come from Fandral.  Loki's blood began to simmer: just because he had been gone didn't mean that blond, goateed dandy could make his move.

Vittoria was his!  Loki was going to show her _and_ remind everyone else.


	23. It's All Fun & Games Until the Truth Slips Out

Tori was in starting to feel like her old self again.  After three weeks in that fucking hip cast, Bruce finally, FINALLY, deemed her healed enough to begin physical therapy as long as she wore an air cast from the knee down.  She was not entirely bed-ridden during the weeks that followed the Hydra incident outside of St. Louis, but she needed help getting from her bed to a wheelchair.  Her arms stayed toned (thanks to using the wheelchair), but her legs and ass were in sorry shape.  Lunges and squats would be the bane of her existence until she was fit for active duty again.  Tori threw herself into her recovery.

Kari, the physical therapist, was very optimistic that Tori would be off of light duty in less than a month, given how much work the Cradle had already done to repair the damage done to her leg.  Tori just wanted to get back into her normal routine ASAP.  Her weeks being confined to the medical bay had sucked.  Not just because Tori hated being reliant on others, but because all this down time meant that she had nothing to do but think about him.  There was only so much Netflix binging, reading, and board games that she could do.  And as much as she loved her family, Tori could only handle so much teasing from her dad about her alleged "boyfriend from work."

When they had first arrived, Nonna was beside herself to see her granddaughter in such sorry shape.  When she asked about Loki, Tori tried play it off that he was off on assignment somewhere.  Unfortunately, Rosie Scarpetti had a finely tuned bullshit meter.  "Don't you worry, _pignatta_.  He will be back.  After all, you're here!"

John Scarpetti gave his younger daughter an appraising look.  "Is there something that I should know, kiddo?"

"Oh!  Leave her be, John," Tori's mother, Maggie, swatted her husband's arm.  "If Tori has a boyfriend, she'll bring him around to meet us when she's ready.  You and the boys scared off the last one, remember?"

"I just wanted to make sure that guy was good for her.  That's all," John huffed.

Tori rolled her eyes.  "Dad, he's not my boyfriend.  Otherwise, he'd be here, right?"

"Well, Nonna has told us that you two make a cute couple.  She's already bypassed the wedding and is planning on 'beautiful, green-eyed _bambini_ ' in the next few years."

"DAD!" Tori shouted as she blushed to the roots of her hair.

Nonna just shrugged with a funny little smile.  Then winked at Tori when she knew no one else was looking.

Tori was eternally grateful that no one from SHIELD was around to hear _that_ little exchange.  It was bad enough that everyone who came to visit would hit her up for information on Loki.  It was a constant reminder that he wasn't there.  Her misery would have been even worse if she had to endure the teasing to come from her fellow agents.  She could just see the fake baby shower gifts now.  Tori knew that someone, at least one person, would've figured out a way to get baby's cap with horns like Loki's helmet.

" _Actually, I wouldn't hate that.  That would be adorable_ ," she thought before mentally slapping herself for the implications of that line of thinking.

After her family had a chance to see her, Tony offered to show them to their rooms.  When they protested, saying that they had reserved hotel rooms nearby, he wouldn't hear of it.  "I'll get you out of the reservation.  Tori is part of our big, dysfunctional family so you have to stay in The Tower.  I won't take no for an answer.  Besides, Nonna will have a gourmet kitchen at her disposal."

Tori laughed and rolled her eyes at Stark's shameless angling for Nonna to cook for him and the rest of The Tower's residents.  Nonna, of course, was all too happy to oblige.  When she left the room, she had her arm linked with Tony's and was asking him if he had everything she needed to make lasagna.  A few hours later, Fury came by with Coulson and Hill.

"C'mon, boss!  Can't a girl enjoy her sick leave?  I got hurt on the job for fuck's sake!"

Fury managed to give Tori a wry smile at her outburst.  "Believe it or not, Tori, but this is an unofficial "official" visit.  As someone who actually cares about your wellbeing, I have to say that was far and away the craziest thing you have ever done.  But..." Fury's pause made Tori look at him, "nice work.  As your boss, however, I think the only way to keep you out of trouble is to get you out of the field."

Tori couldn't believe this!  Fury was going to kill her career and she wasn't even able-bodied enough to storm off.  " _The nerve of this motherfucker!_ "

Fury, seeing that Tori was getting ready to come unglued, held his hand up and continued.  "It's not what you think.  I'm taking you out of the field because I'm promoting you.  Jasper Sitwell is on the lam and about thirty double agents came out of the woodwork when they thought that Hydra had the upper hand.  I need the kind of agent that I can trust.  Who better than the agent who had the brass balls-"

"Ahem," Maria cleared her throat.

"Excuse me,  _the guts_ to trick her way into Hydra's stronghold and then wreak havoc all on her own?   _That_ is the kind of agent I need right now."

Phil and Maria looked at Tori expectantly.  For a change, Tori really was at a loss for words.  Fury gave her a genuine smile, "Don't worry, Tori.  You don't need to give me an answer right now.  Just focus on recovering.  By the way, your grandmother just gave me my own batch of biscotti.  Chocolate hazelnut.  And no, that's not why I offered the promotion."

After Fury's visit, a few other agents came to see her.  Every one of them couldn't wait to dish on who turned out to be Hydra.  Or on how they heard that Loki had rescued her.  " _Big_ s _urprise there_."

Jane and Darcy were sweethearts, bringing John Hughes movies and junk food to her room later in the evenings.  When they were around, they occasionally got Natasha and even Sif to join them for chick flick night.  The first time the shield maiden joined the mortal women, it was a bit surreal and involved a lot of 'splaining of Midgardian dating customs.  As she kept coming to watch movies with the other ladies, Sif shocked everyone by loosening up and actually being, well, _girly_.  She swore them all to secrecy, lest the Warriors Three find out that she had a softer side and mock her for it.

The worse time of day for Tori was after everyone was gone for the evening, leaving only the night staff in the medical bay.  It was then that her thoughts would turn to Loki.  Not like she blocked time out of her schedule to do so.  It would sneak up on her.  She couldn't watch Mel Brooks movies any more without missing Loki.  Ditto for _Sherlock_ or anything Monty Python.  She started crying while watching _Monty Python and The Search for the Holy Grail_ , and not from laughing.  Charlie thought she was having a mental breakdown, but then she explained that Loki had laughed until he was red in the face during most of the movie.  Charlie just put his arm around his sister's shoulders, letting her tears fall before he changed the movie.

Tori either wondered what he was doing or replayed everything that had passed between them.  There were things that she remembered, seemingly little things.

The way that the skin around Loki's eyes would crinkle a bit at the corners, even if his voice was stern or disinterested, when she cracked a joke or made an especially bad pun.

The times that Tori actually got him to laugh out right, usually when she was being especially ill-mannered or said something that he would've most likely said.

How awkward he was when it came to her invading his personal space, yet not the other way around.

Every single time Tori found herself in a bind, Loki was there to get back out again.

Him kissing her goodbye.  It wasn't what she expected from him.  It was...sweet.

Then...nothing.  Three weeks of no contact.

" _He's gone, dumbass!  He has his freedom, so why would he stick around with his mortal babysitter?_ "

Thor had come to see her, alone, a few days after she woke up.  He had just returned from Asgard, bearing a giant floral arrangement which he said came from Sif, the Warriors Three, and himself.  "Jane said that it is customary to bring a gift to cheer up a recovering patient.  Fandral is the one who selected the flowers," Thor said when he saw Tori raise her eyebrows in surprise.

"I'm not gonna lie, Thor.  It's gorgeous, but it may be a bit much," Tori said as she looked at the much smaller floral arrangements people had brought to her hospital room.  The Asgardian one dwarfed the others, needing its own table.

With a small smile Thor replied, " We all agreed that it's the sort of thing Loki would have gotten for you."

Thor had been seeking to learn Loki's whereabouts and how he had broken through his restraints.  The God of Thunder enjoyed spinning a yarn as much as his brother, but Thor was prone to going off on tangents.  From what Tori could gather, Odin's punishment was only to be in place as long as it took for Loki to learn the value and frailty of human life.  When Thor told Odin of what Loki had done for her, Odin simply commented that he hoped to one day meet the mortal who had reminded his son how to care about something other than himself.  The big guy could not understand why his father was not commanding Asgard's bravest warriors to scour the Nine Realms to bring Loki back.

"However, Father often has reasons that none of us understand until after things have come to pass," he said by way of explanation.

Tori gave Thor a critical look that actually made him laugh.  "That face that you're making reminds me of Loki's whenever he wasn't satisfied with an answer.  I have a feeling that it means the same thing when you wear it."

"Yeah, I'm gonna call bullshit on Odin's explanation.  I think he's just as stumped as we are and doesn't want to admit it."

Heimdall could not see Loki, which was no surprise to Thor, Sif, or the Warriors Three.  He couldn't be sure of it, but Thor suspected that Loki may have crossed paths with him once or twice while he was away from Earth.  "It is my brother's way to be irksome.  He enjoys pretending to be other people as he stirs the pot, then leaves as suddenly as he arrived.  He's always careful to cover his tracks and have an alibi."

It was this very statement that Tori had in mind when she stepped out of the shower.  It was going to be night in, so Tori put on her old grey gym shorts and a Navy hoodie.  Hair still wet, she made her way to her living room.  Jane, Darcy, Nat, and Maria were coming up to celebrate Tori being out of her cast and back in her apartment.  There would be drinking and Cards Against Humanity, with an emphasis on the former.  When she entered the living room, Tori noticed that there was an empty highball glass on the table between the armchairs.  " _I don't remember leaving that_ ," she thought as she collected the glass.  The ottoman looked askew, too. " _Weird_."

* * *

Loki was still ruminating on how best to get Vittoria's attention and get her on her own.  He had thought to turn her bedroom door into a portal to his new home so that she would seamlessly step from here to there. He thought better of it; between the shock and the anger that would surely follow, Vittoria might do something regrettable.  Figuring that he had time, Loki waited in her living room.  While he waited, he helped himself to her liquor cabinet and some of the books on the side table in his favorite chair.  When he heard the water stop in her shower, Loki finished his drink and hid himself.

He watched as her eyes fell on the table and saw the glass that he had left on purpose.  She shook her head as she took it and deposited it in the sink.  Then Vittoria went about the kitchen, as if she was preparing for company.  " _Who could she be seeing at this time of night?_ "  Naturally, Loki's suspicious mind began to form a vision of Fandral sweeping into Vittoria's apartments for some late night tryst.  When there was a knock at the door, Loki had half a mind to rip it off its hinges and throttle his rival before he crossed the threshold.

Vittoria fairly ran to the door, narrowly missing by Loki.  The opened door revealed a group of laughing women.  "Hey, guys!  Pepper!  I didn't expect you to be back from Hong Kong so soon."

She stood aside to let the women enter her home, each of them carrying food or beverages of some sort.  Loki could feel his blood pressure decrease.  This must be another one of those "girls' nights" that Dr. Foster and Miss Lewis had initiated.  The women chattered amiably as they began to set out their snacks and offerings of alcohol.  Vittoria emerged from the hallway bearing a long black box and a mischievous grin.  Darcy, upon seeing Vittoria and what she carried, shouted to the others, "Uh-oh!  It looks like we are playing the party game for horrible people!"

“What are we playing?” asked Maria Hill.

Tori replied, “Cards Against Humanity.  It's a game best played with people who have no qualms about being offensive, usually with drinks on hand.”

Snickering laughter from Natasha and Darcy told Tori that they knew what was up. 

Jane looked from Darcy to Tori, trying to decide whose idea it was to bust out a game that was certainly not meant for the easily offended.  Tori shrugged, “Hey, Monopoly is WAY too competitive around here.  The last time it played here in The Tower, Tony and Thor almost threw each other through the glass door onto the balcony.”

Jane looked to Pepper for confirmation.  Pepper sighed and rubbed her temples, as if easing away a headache.  "Don't remind me, Tori.  It's the same reason why we had to ban certain video games.  The boys get WAY to into it.  Steve and Tony almost went to blows over Wii Tennis."

Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at Pepper.  Even an invisible Loki blinked in disbelief.  Tori leaned forward a bit, "Tony and Steve almost got into a fist fight...over _tennis_?!?  Wii Tennis?  Next, you'll tell me that they got into a fight over Guitar Hero."

Pepper whimpered and bit her hip.  Then nodded slightly, embarrassment evident on her face.

Tori just laughed,  "Rather than banning the games, maybe we should just ban Tony and Steve from playing.  At least against each other."

With that, Tori started mixing drinks.  Ten minutes later, drinks and snacks on hand, the women were laughing hysterically at the creative (albeit twisted) sense of humor they had.  Each one of them had at least two black cards.  Darcy patted Jane on the leg as she won by playing “Genital Herpes” with the prompt “What don’t you want to find in your Chinese food?”

“I’m proud of you, boss lady!  Who knew that you had it in you?”

Jane turned red, but responded, “I guess you don’t work with a bunch of guys and NOT pick up on their jokes.”

The rest of the women laughed, knowing exactly what Dr. Foster meant by that.  Everyone but Maria (and the invisible eavesdropper Loki) was surprised to see that Tori, sweet oh-so-innocent looking Tori, was tied with Natasha in black cards.  The rest of the women were amused by Tori's ribald and at times dark answers.  Loki was glad to have completely cloaked himself, he was outright laughing at some of the answers he heard.

Examples of Tori's winning combinations that got reactions from the God of Mischief included:

“When I am President, I will create a Department of (Not giving a shit about the Third World).”

“Good afternoon.  I am from the Church of (David Hasselhoff).  Do you have time to talk about (German dungeon porn)?”

"What is that smell? (Exactly what you think it is.)"

Natasha looked down the table at Maria, “I think that Loki may have rubbed off on her.”

Maria replied, “No, Tori's has always been like this.  I doubt that she needs much encouragement.”

Tori's spirits seemed to dampen a bit at this, if only for a moment.  The only person at the table to see it was the Black Widow.  From his vantage point directly opposite her, Loki could see the sadly pensive look in Vittoria's eyes.  He just had to stay hidden a while longer.  At least until, the others left.  Although, judging by the sheer volume of liquor consumed, Vittoria might pass out as soon as her company left.

The ladies had agreed to play until someone had ten black cards, and with Maria having won another card that meant that she was now tied at nine with Tori and Natasha.  It was Pepper’s turn to be the Card Czar and she drew “If God didn’t want us to enjoy (blank), he wouldn’t have given us (blank).”

Everyone threw down their cards.  There was a lot of snickering, but all eyes were on the three women tied for the win.  All three of them maintained stoic poker faces, betraying nothing about the nature of their cards.  Pepper picked up the cards and began to read them aloud.

“Let’s see.  We have ‘Some God damn peace and quiet’ and ‘Shutting the fuck up.’  Someone played ‘Genetically…’”  Pepper snorted as she laughed.  When she recovered, she started over, “’Genetically-enhanced super soldiers’ and ‘World War II.’”  The tittering of feminine giggles made Loki violently roll his eyes, knowing that it was an allusion to Captain Rogers.  Darcy cocked an eyebrow in Tori's direction to see if she had played that combo.  Her face remained passive as she gave a small shrug.

Pepper read through all the cards, getting to the last combo.  It looked like “Super Soldiers” and “WWII” was the winner until…Pepper blanched.  Then her mouth fell open.  Everyone leaned forward in anticipation and then concern.  Jane, noticing how quiet it got, spoke.  “Pepper?  Are you alright?”

Pepper guffawed so loudly that everyone around the coffee table jumped.  She couldn’t even read the cards.  Unable to speak through her laughter, she just handed Natasha the cards.  She read the cards and began to laugh.  Now, everyone was well and truly scared.  They around the table looked at each other, trying to figure out whose cards had caused this reaction.  Even when looking around the table, no one could could figure out who had played those cards.  Pepper wheezed out, “Natasha…you have to read them!  I can’t…” 

Natasha had to catch her breath and wipe away tears before she cleared her throat and read the cards with the prompt.  “If God didn’t want us to enjoy (Loki, the Trickster God), he wouldn’t have given us (that ass).” 

Laughter and raucous cheers echoed throughout the living area.  Everyone was laughing now, to the point of tears.  Pepper's mascara was running as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.  "Apologies to Cap's fan, but I think that this one is the winner.  Who had these cards?  We need to arrange for a psych eval for whoever played these.”

Loki, meanwhile, was watching with rapt attention.

The laughter had died down and there was a pregnant pause.  Tori reached over silently and, placing her index finger on the black card, slid it in front of her.  With a triumphant smirk, she looked at the scandalized women around the table.  “Ladies, I believe that’s the game.”  The other women, and an invisible, astonished, (and aroused) God of Mischief were staring at her with their mouths agape.  “All is fair in love, war, and Cards Against Humanity.”

"So, Tori," Darcy said as she rested her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands.  "I've been meaning to ask you, did you get to enjoy 'that ass?'  Or was it strictly business between you two.  I heard that he was totally crushing on you."

Darcy had said this with a waggle of her eyebrows, which made Jane smack her friend and assistant on the shoulder.  "Darce!  Thor told you not to say anything about that," Jane said in a harsh whisper.

"Hey!  It's a perfectly legit question, boss lady.  After all, she was hiding out with him off the radar for almost a week.  Then she plays _those_ cards?  I just want get the hot gossip straight from the source."

Tori was busy putting away the cards to the game, but could feel five pairs of eyes bearing down on her.  The room felt oppressively close all of a sudden, like there was more than just her friends sitting in her living room.  Without making eye contact, Tori answered Darcy's question.  "No, Loki and I were not an item.  True, we had fun when he wasn't busy being mad at me or pissy with everyone else.  Would anything have happened between us if he hadn't left?  I don't think we'll ever know."

Both Maria and Natasha were now entirely focused the conversation at the other end of the table.  "Darcy, what do you mean Loki had a crush on Tori?  Where did you hear that?"

Tori saw that Darcy really hated being put on the spot.  " _She probably just overheard someone teasing Loki about being stuck with me_ ," Tori sighed internally.

Darcy was looking at Jane to run interference for her.  The astrophysicist was having no part of it.  "Sorry, Darcy.  You're on your own."

"So spill it," said Maria.

Looking around at the women who were all staring at her, Darcy stammered.  "Thor said that...that golden guy in the sky could hear Loki's thoughts.  Every time Thor went back to Asgard, that guy would tell Thor what he saw.  He thought that Thor needed to do something about it.  That he needed to keep Loki from getting too friendly with Tori.  He even tried to get Fandral and Sif to convince Thor that she and Loki were too close."

Unbeknownst to Tori, she and Loki gave identical derisive snorts.  Tori followed hers up with, "Yeah, because Loki really needed help with that sort of thing.  You know he's just always hanging around...oh, wait.  That's right.  He fucking bounced, the first chance he got!"

Loki couldn't believe what he heard.  " _She thinks that I abandoned her.  That's why she's been less than her cheerful self?  She thinks..._ "

"That watcher, all-seer guy said that it wasn't to be mean to Loki.  He said that it was so Loki didn't go on a rampage if anything bad happened to you.  Remember how mad he was when you came back from Colombia?  And that was just because you had stuck your neck out while on a mission.  Imagine how pissed he'd be if something really bad had happened."

Natasha gently prompted Tori, "You don't have to imagine it, do you Tori?  You got to see it firsthand."

Nodding slowly, Tori softly replied, "Yes, I did.  I was out of it and in shock, but yeah.  Loki is kind of scary when he reaches that point.  I still don't know what he did to those two and the big bastard they had with them.  Whatever it was, I'd probably have nightmares if I witnessed it."

" _Great.  Just perfect.  Now she is afraid you_ ," Loki chided himself.  " _If you had wanted to frighten her, all you had to do was show her your real face.  That would've done it._ "

"Are you worried that he will do something to you if he comes back?" Maria asked.  Tori shot her a poisonous glare, then backed off when she saw Maria wasn't trying to insinuate anything.

"No," Tori sighed, "I'm not.  I don't think that's anything to worry about since he's most likely off doing whatever the hell he wants.  If I had to put money on it, I'd say he's not coming back if he can help it."

Loki smirked to himself, " _It is a good thing that you're not wagering anything, Vittoria.  You would've already lost._ "

The women lingered for a bit longer, helping Tori clean up her kitchen and chatting.  Loki overheard them planning the next gathering, opting to leave the The Tower and go on a pub crawl.  "I'll handle all the arrangements, ladies.  Just show up, dressed to impress," said Pepper as she said her goodbyes.  Everyone began to leave shortly after, only Darcy stayed behind once Jane left to go see if Thor was back.

"So, what are you gonna do, Tori?"

"About?" Tori asked in a poor attempt to be coy.  Even Darcy saw through it.

"About your feelings for Loki.  Come on, everyone can see that you really care about him."

Tori shook her head.  "There isn't anything to be done.  He's not here, he's not coming back, and that's probably for the best."

Darcy studied her friend for a bit longer.  Then she shrugged as she said, "Well, when he does come back, you ought to talk to Jane about what it's like to date a space Viking.  She might be able to give you some pointers, if you know what I mean."  This last part was said with a nudge of her elbow.

"Good night, Darcy!"

"I mean, seriously, Thor's really into some of the -"

"I SAID 'GOOD NIGHT, DARCY!'"

"Alright, I'm going!" Darcy said as Tori hustled her out the door and threw her coat at her.

Tori closed the door on the bewildered woman then muttered as she walked through to her bedroom, "That was close."

She felt her heart jump into her throat when she heard a familiar voice say, "Quite right, Vittoria.  I already know too much about my brother's proclivities.  I would not want to scar your mind with them as well."


	24. The Bravest, and Stupidest, Thing

Tori backed into her bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Leaning against the door, she struggled to catch her breath.  Her heart was back in her chest, but now it felt as if it would beat right out it.

Bruce had warned Tori that drinking while coming off the pain meds might do weird things.  Hallucinations must be one of them.  Otherwise, she could have sworn that she heard Loki.  

No, not just heard him.

She _saw_ Loki. Sitting in one of her armchairs with his feet on the ottoman, drinking a scotch (neat, of course), and reading one of the many books she had scattered about the living room.  With trembling hands, Tori turned the knob of the door and opened it just a sliver.  As she did, her eyes met a wall of black and green.  Her eyes traveled upward, taking in the pale column of a neck, angular jaw, smirking lips, sharp cheekbones, and stopping once they fell upon green eyes that danced with amusement.

The tone of his voice was just as amused when he said, "Truly, Vittoria, that was not the greeting I expected from you."

She was not the swooning type.  Having three brothers and military experience, plus the unpleasant (and alarmingly frequent) exposure to hers or someone else's bodily fluids drummed that out of her right quick.  Just because Tori Scarpetti was not prone to fainting spells didn't mean that she couldn't have her senses overwhelmed.  She stumbled back from the door and missed the edge of her bed, landing with a painful thunk on the floor.  Before she could right herself, Loki cleared the distance between the door and where Tori now sat.

" _Of course._ Now _the booze catches up with me,_ " Tori kicked herself for not heeding Dr. Banner's warning.

"You, darling, have been doing a little drinking," Loki chuckle as he swooped down to scoop her from where she had landed.

Tori scoffed, "Noooo!  I've been doing _a lot_ of drinking.  Making up for lost time."  Tori's brain caught up with what she heard him say.  "And you don't get to call me 'darling!'  I'm mad at you!"

"So I can hear.  You're slurring," Loki replied as he ignored the fact that Tori appeared less than pleased to see him.

Folding her arms she petulantly replied, "I'm not slurring.  I'm speaking in cursive!"

He threw his head back and laughed heartily at her reply.  "Of course you are, darling.  You are eloquent, as always."

She fumed at his continued use of the word "darling."  Then realized that Loki had carried her out of the bedroom and seemingly continued to her front door, rather than setting her on her own feet.  She wasn't so looped as to believe Loki was still a hallucination.  With the initial, disorienting shock gone, Tori let loose some of the pent up anger and angst that had built up since she had last seen the God of Mischief.  Even if the words were a bit slurred.

"Where do you think you're taking me!?!"  She began to thrash about, hoping that he'd set her down.  Tori was even willing to settle for being dropped if it got here free of his grasp.  "I don't hear from or see you for weeks, but you think that you can barge into my place and take me wherever the fuck you want?  Ha!  You have another thing coming, mister!"

She had almost succeeded.  When Tori felt gravity taking over, Loki caught her around the waist and hefted her over his shoulder so that she was draped upside down across his back.  Tori continued to rant at Loki and wriggle to free herself.  She tried slip forward, down Loki's back, so she could grab his leg and trip him up.  No good.  She was too short, and he had his arm hooked around the back of her knees.  Focused on how to get loose, Tori failed to notice that once they crossed the threshold of her apartment, they were not standing in the lobby outside her apartment in The Tower.  Loki effortlessly swung her back around to his front to carry her bridal style.  Still wearing an amused smirk, he finally answered her.  "If you would care to hush for a moment and look around, you will see."

Under foot, rather than the expected grey marble tile, she saw some sort of golden tan stone with flecks of green that shimmered a bit when it was stepped on.  The room was cavernous, but still managed to be inviting.  The walls were adorned with relief sculptures and tapestries.  They weren't quite Nordic and weren't quite Celtic.  They were, however, lavish and beautifully detailed.  The furnishings look quite comfortable, even if they were a bit ornate.  Tori couldn't tell from where the light actually originated, but it was warm and complemented the space.

Loki watched as she looked about the room and softly said, "Welcome to my new home away from home."

He proceeded to carry her over to a plush green chaise that was almost the size of a double bed.  Still holding on to her, Loki reclined in it and situated Tori in his lap.  She knew well enough that he wasn't going to let her go anywhere, not with his arms around her waist to hold her upright with her legs dangling over the side.  Sitting in Loki's lap was not where Tori wanted to be at the moment, considering the owner of said lap was on her shit list.  She wasn't going to let his proximity get the better of her.  She was mad at him, goddammit!  And he was gonna learn just how mad.  Instead of fighting for freedom, Tori turned to face him full-on. 

"So?  Where did you have to go that was so important that you couldn't be with your friend and partner while she was recovering?"  Tori spoke as she folded her arms across her chest.

The sight of her in extreme casual and pouting in his lap was almost too much for Loki.  He didn't know whether to laugh at her or kiss her senseless.  He opted for a subtler version of his first inclination.  Chuckling and tucking a strand of hair behind Tori's ear Loki replied, "I did it for your safety.  And mine."

"Everyone else was there when I woke up.  You got me out of there, then ditched me," Tori replied with barely restrained ire.  That particular emotion was most effective at sobering her up.

"I did not abandon you, Vittoria.  I promised that I would return, did I not?  I had to go much farther afield to learn why Amora and Lorelei caused as much trouble as they did.  Besides, you needed the rest."  Her arms were still folded as she blinked back the tears that started to form.  When he placed a hand on her upper arm, in what was meant to be a soothing gesture, Tori exploded, wildly gesticulating so that she almost whacked Loki in the face.

"Three weeks!  Three weeks, Loki!  That's twenty-one days of me worrying about you.  Then me thinking you had completely left me, once you were free from your punishment!  That _I_ was part of your punishment and something to be escaped!  Twenty-one days of that.  Then you show up in my apartment, out of the blue, and take me to...to...where the fuck are we?"

"Iceland," he replied.

"You take me to Iceland!  Where I find out you have bought some palace and clearly wasted no time decorating it in Asgardian Rococo.  I didn't even get so much as a text message or a postcard.  I wouldn't have cared if it was anyone else.  But it was you that pulled such a chicken shit move!  You just left, and all I had to go on was what you told Thor.  So, forgive me if I'm just a little pissed off right now!"

Loki had not stopped her from berating him.  Nor had he let her go from his lap, even when she grazed his face multiple times.  Tori didn't notice this, now that her tears were torrential.  Loki cupped Tori's face in his hands, brushing her tears away with his thumbs.  She fell silent when she realized that he was just staring into her eyes.  It wasn't the first time that Tori had a hard time reading him.  Nor was it the first time that his gaze caused her to falter.  She was nowhere near done with him, but the way he looked at her made her forget what she had planned to say if she ever saw him again.

He was being so...un-Loki like.  It was right about now that he should be deflecting blame or making some smart-ass remark.  At the very least, he should be mad that she was mad and dared to call him out.  Instead, he tilted her head toward him and placed a kiss on her forehead before pulling her into his arms and resting her head on his chest.  She wasn't sure how his heartbeat usually sounded, but it seemed to thunder in her ears.  Or was that her own?

He began to rub her back, trying to soothe her as he spoke, "I am sorry for being away so long, Vittoria.  I truly am.  I thought that I could watch over you from afar, which I did.  But that was not enough.  Besides, you weren't completely alone.  You had your brother and mine.  Dr Foster and Miss Lewis.  Fandral."

Loki said that last name with pure contempt.  " _Why does he have such a rager against Fandral all of a sudden?_ "

Tori lifted her head and gave Loki a puzzled look.  This seemed to irritate him.  "Come now, Vittoria.  Don't pretend that Fandral hasn't been pursuing your affections.  Since he first met you, he has been shameless."

Tori knew that Fandral was a relentless flirt, but interested _her_?  Really?  Then she realized that Loki had been in her apartment and seen the flowers.   _All_ of the flowers.  Putting it together, Tori started to giggle.  Giggling turned to outright laughter.  Now her sides hurt.  The God of Mischief looked on and wondered if this lovely mortal had finally snapped...and whether or not it was his doing.  "You think that Fandral and I are-", Tori gasped for air, "are _together_?  Come ON!  I have better taste than that.  Besides, I would constantly be competing for his attention."

Tori calmed down to mild tittering and cleared her throat, "No, Loki.  Fandral and I are not involved.  The flowers were a get well gift from your brother and his friends.  In fact, Thor said it was the sort of thing you would have pick out."

Relief, followed by sheepishness, washed over Loki's face.  Tori noticed this and asked with a hit of disappointment, "So the only reason that you came back is because you got jealous?"

"No!" Loki shouted.  Tori reared back as far as his grasp allowed, obviously startled by his outburst.  Seeing his reaction's affect on Tori, Loki lifted her from his lap and set her on the chaise as he rose to his feet and began to pace.  " _Norns!  What does she want me to say?  She can't really be so blind as to not see my intentions?_ "  Loki came to stop in front of Tori, answering her in a much softer voice.  "No, Vittoria.  Jealousy may have prompted me to act, but that's not the reason that I returned."

She looked at him expectantly, her large blue eyes hopeful.  Hopeful for what?  Loki nervously ran his hands through his hair before he continued pacing in front of her.

"Yes, you were meant to be my custodian.  Yet, I found myself more often than not looking after you," Loki continued.  "At first, I reasoned that I had to keep you from harm to prevent further punishment.  When you were taken by Hydra - which incidentally was the bravest, and stupidest, thing that you could have done - I was ready to destroy everyone and everything in my path.  I left to learn what had drawn Lorelei and Amora to Midgard in the first place.  Ironically, that something was me.  With that information, I tried to stay away from you.  As you can see," Loki's gesture encompassed his home and the two of them, "I have terrible impulse control."

She cast an incredulous look at the god towering over her.  Tori could not, would not, believe what he seemed to be saying.

"The terrible truth, Vittoria, is that I _am_ scared.  Or, what was that charming phrase you just used?  'Chicken shit,' was it?  Yes, I stayed away not just for your safety, but because I have not ever been ruled by such sentiment.  The longer I stayed near you, the stronger it grew.   ****I thought that it made me weak and that I needed to be rid of it.  However, I am more scared of losing you, whether to your anger at me for keeping my distance or to a rival for your attention."

Tori turned her head to look at him.  "You?  Scared?  You have your freedom and all of your powers back.  I thought that you'd be happy to be rid of me, since you're forever bailing me out of trouble."

Loki sat facing her and shook her by the shoulders.  "Why would I want that?  Are you daft, Vittoria?  Of all the people that I have met here, you are the only one that treats me like a person!  You don't walk on eggshells around me.  You even sass me back, and..." Loki's voice grew quiet, "I think too much of you to let you go so easily."

Loki's hands released her shoulders but now left hand was cradling the back of her neck while his right gripped the backrest on the chaise.  Tori started to feel uncomfortably warm.  She couldn't look away from his verdant eyes boring into hers.  His face drew closer to hers, and his voice was low and husky, "Three weeks is quite long enough."

His lips crashed into hers, completely erasing every thought from Tori's mind, except for the cool demanding lips devouring hers and the strong hands on her neck and now lower back that pulled her against him.  Tori sighed into his kiss, parting her lips slightly.  Loki eagerly plundered her mouth with his tongue.  The feral growl at the back of his throat as he claimed her went straight to the need that had been growing since he had brought her to his palatial home.

She was pressed firmly to the hard wall of his torso, covered in leather and armor.  Tori's hands had a mind of their own as they ran up the sides of Loki's neck; her fingers buried themselves in his hair.  The pressure that she applied to his scalp as she ran her fingers through his hair made him moan and pull her closer.  Tori's chest was heaving against his; her warm lips and labored breathing only stoked Loki's lust further.  His hands slid under the hem of her sweatshirt and up her back, encountering nothing but smooth fully-healed skin of her back and the hooks of those curiously brief Midgardian undergarments that women wore.

Loki brought his hands around to cup her breasts.  Tori arched into his touch as his hands knew just where to tease through the fabric of her bra.  Tori tried to stifle the wanton moan that emerge from her.  This only encouraged Loki to keep lazily circling the same spot, contrasting with the hungry kisses he now planted along her jaw and side of her neck.  Tori began to feel dizzy.  Loki seemed to sense this, as the smooth callouses of this fingertips brushed along Tori's sides in their retreat from under her sweatshirt.  She squirmed a bit from the slight tickling.

Playfully smirking down at her as he pulled his lips away from hers, Loki said "You have had quite an evening, Vittoria.  I will not exploit this new ticklish spot that I've discovered...yet.  Come, let's away to bed."

Loki picked her up from the chaise as he rose to his feet and carried her through the massive house.  Tori's eyes were growing heavy at his suggestion that they go to bed, but she still looked around.  As they walked down the hallway she mused, "You could fit a couple of bowling lanes in here, Mischief."

His chuckle reverberated through her.  "Yes, I suppose it is a bit grandiose.  However, I have never been one for half-measures."

They passed an open archway that revealed what looked like a ballroom/reception area.  Then a large set of double doors leading to a library stacked floor to ceiling with books.  Now they were standing before a massive staircase.  In the blink of an eye, they were no longer at the staircase but in what was apparently the master suite.

Tori gave him an inquiring look.  "Oh, I was just giving you a bit of a tour before retiring," Loki replied as he set her down on the bed.  "I will show you the rest of the house tomorrow.  Right now, you need sleep."

He gave her an appraising look, then magicked away her clothes, replacing them with an emerald nightgown with the hem at mid-thigh.  Tori sat up on her elbows at the sudden rush of air that came with losing her comfy clothes and the coolness of the satin against her skin.  When her eyes met his, a groan escaped Loki lips.

"I will try to behave myself.  Mostly," Loki replied as he disappeared his own clothing to replace them with his (and her) favorite pajama bottoms.

" _Okay.  How hard can this be?  This bed is almost the size of my entire guest room.  There's plenty of room for the two of us_ ," Tori thought as she watch Loki climb under the covers.  He paused, holding back the blankets in a clear invitation for Tori to crawl in next to him.

Tori tried, gracefully as possible, to keep her nightgown from riding up as she did.  Once she was settled with pillows under her head, facing Loki, Tori closed her eyes as she whispered "Good night, Loki."  She felt the bed shift next to her, then felt her limbs being arranged so that her leg was swung over Loki's hip and her arm was draped over his shoulder.  One of his arms was her neck while the other pulled her close.  When his lips met hers, Tori could feel herself turning into a puddle right there.

Loki, noticing her body go limp, pulled away so that his lips brushed hers as his spoke.  "Good night, Vittoria."

They both fell asleep this way, tangled together and not going anywhere anytime soon.

* * *

"I don't know where she went!  Natasha and I just saw her last night, sir."

Everyone had searched high and low for Tori when she didn't report in for work that morning.  Tony was able to get Friday to unlock her apartment, but there was no sign of her.  Her bed didn't appear to be slept in, and her purse was still by the door.  Her phone was on the charger.  The only thing out of place was an empty glass on the table next to an open book.

Fury, Natasha, and Maria were waiting for Tony to playback the security footage when Jane and Darcy arrived, with Thor hot on their heels.  "Hey!  We just heard," said Darcy.  "Did you guys find anything yet?"

Natasha shook her head.  "Nothing yet.  There wasn't a struggle, who or whatever it was must've really gotten the drop on her."

"You really don't think Tori got kidnapped, do you Natasha?" Jane asked nervously.

"I can't imagine her not contacting anyone if she had an emergency or something came up," she replied.

Tony was looking at the video feed, watching all the women leave Tori's apartment the previous night.  He sped up the playback, until...

"What the shit?" Darcy shouted.  "Tony, rewind that."

Tony backed up the recording.  Then everyone else saw what Darcy saw.  The door to Tori's apartment opening, then closing, all on its own.  There was a faint shimmer right before the door shut.  Thor was now watching the video, eyes narrowed.  "Loki!"

Fury now turned his hardened gaze on the God of Thunder.  "What do you mean, Thor?  You think that Loki took her?  For what purpose?"

"Certainly not to harm her, if that is what you mean," Thor growled as the skies outside darkened.  The static electricity in the air made Jane and Darcy's hair stand as they each took a giant step back away from Thor.

Tony, meanwhile, panicked for another reason.  "Easy, big guy!  I just got done replacing the electronics in the common area after you lost that game of Mario Kart to Barton.  Tori will be pissed if she comes home to find everything in here has been fried.  She might sic Loki on you."

Thor still glared at Fury but the threat of electrocution abated as he calmed himself down.  Everyone marveled at how protective Thor was of his younger brother, even with all the trouble he had caused in the past.  Jane tried her best to understand it, for Thor's sake, but just couldn't get past the fact that Loki had attacked Earth and almost killed her...and him!

"What I mean is, why would he have not at least let anyone else know he was here?  You have to admit his simply taking one of my senior agents, without so much as a note on the fridge, is a little suspicious."

Thor shifted his weight from one foot to the next.  "I cannot account for why Loki does things the way he does.  I just have to trust that he has his reasons.  We all know that Agent Scarpetti would not have gone without a fight if she had been taken unwillingly."

"Yeah, she would've blown the place up or made enough noise for us to hear her," Tony said with a smirk.  "Alright, Thor.  I guess you'll have to figure out where they are, since we don't have a way of tracking either of them."

Thor nodded, "I shall return to Asgard.  Loki may have hidden them both from Heimdall's sight, but he may have seen Tori before she was taken."

With that, the God of Thunder made his way back to his rooms, located at the very top of The Tower.  Jane followed him closely, having to walk fast to keep up.  "How long are you going to be gone this time?"

"I shall not be long, Jane.  I only plan to speak with Heimdall, then return when I have learned what I can of Agent Scarpetti's whereabouts."

"The last time you said you'd be right back, it was almost two weeks.  Maybe I should go with you this time to make sure you come back."

Thor wrapped an arm around Jane's waist and picked her to kiss her goodbye.  Jane's eyes fluttered as Thor broke off his kiss.  "We will take a trip to Asgard.  Soon.  I have some matters to attend before we can.  For that, I will need to find my brother."

With that, he stepped out onto his balcony and called for Heimdall to open the Bifrost.  The familiar roar and flash of light left a smoking sigil on the concrete, along with a puzzled astrophysicist looking skyward.


	25. So Much for Behaving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are the best! Over 150 kudos? All the comments, hits, and bookmarks?
> 
> I'm truly overwhelmed and humbled by all the love that I've gotten for this story.
> 
> By the way...it only took 25 chapters to get to the SMUT.

His eyes were still closed when he felt a warm puff of breath against his chest and heard a soft sigh.  Loki opened his eyes slowly, as if even a sudden movement of his eyelids would wake Vittoria.  Or that she might vanish, as if a carefully crafted illusion.  Vittoria nuzzled his shoulder, taking a deep breath.  " _No_ ," Loki thought, " _she is quite real.  And just as lovely_."  She had sometime in the night snuggled closer to him.  Her leg was still hooked around his hips and her arm flung over his side.  He had slept with his arms wrapped tightly around Vittoria; the full length of her body was pressed against him, separated only by the fabric of their sleep clothes.  It was exquisite torture to Loki who, for all of his self-control through the night, now wanted nothing more than to bury himself in the warmth that he could feel radiating from Vittoria's core.  That warmth, mixed with the scent of her hair and skin, surrounded him.

Trailing his long fingers along her back and down the curve of her ass, Loki stroked the soft, smooth flesh of Tori's thigh and slowly back, just under the hem of her nightgown.  At first, Tori's response was another contented sigh.  As Loki continued, his touch grew bolder.  Soon, he was allowing his hand to completely caress her backside before gliding back down her thigh.  With Loki's more assured touches, Tori's response became more immodest.  She began to gently roll her hips against Loki's, even as she was only stirring from her sleep.  The sharp intake of his breath at her reactions caused Tori to wake fully.

As Tori's eyes open, her lashes brushed against Loki's collarbone.  She sleepily tilted her head so that she could look at Loki's face.  Her cheeks flushed once her eyes focused on his face.  Tori saw that Loki's pupils were blown; his irises were only thin green rims.  She also realized just how tightly her body was pressed to his...and how turned on she was already.  That realization caused Tori to redden even more as she looked away with embarrassment at how eagerly her body reacted to what she had felt while emerging from her slumber.

Tori didn't have a opportunity to escape or hide her own desires.  The hand that had been caressing her now held her firmly by the back of her head with its fingers entwined in her hair.  Loki brought his lips to hers, his tongue teasing at her mouth until Tori's lips parted.  Loki deepened his kiss, sliding his fingers through Tori's hair.  Once freed of her tresses, Loki's hand made its way back down to Tori's ass.  Loki began to grind against Tori as his mouth captured her moans.  Even through the thin fabric of their clothing, Loki could feel her body's response to his ministrations.  He wanted more of her.  All of her.

Based on her reaction, she wanted the same thing.  Tori's hips now met his, shamelessly seeking relief for the throbbing between her legs.  Her breathing caused her breasts to brush against Loki's bare chest.  His hand drifted up her side until one of her breasts filled his hand; she arched into his touch as the smooth callous on his thumb teased the harden bud through her nightgown.  Tori gasped at the cool air that greeted her skin when Loki removed both her nightgown and his pajamas with his seidr.

With nought between them, Loki renewed his attentions with fervor as he rolled Tori onto her back.  Trailing kisses down her neck to the tops of her breasts, he continued to graze her sensitive skin with his lips and teeth.  With a hand on each of her knees, Loki parted her legs to settle between her thighs.  Loki looked down at Vittoria, his Vittoria, her lips parted and dark hair spread behind her.  It was clear that she wanted him, but he also saw more than a hint of apprehension.

"Loki," she said breathlessly, "I've... I mean it's been-"

"Shh," Loki placed a slender finger across her lips before replacing it with his mouth.  Tori had planned to say that she was nervous.  More than nervous, actually.  It had been a long time since she was last with anyone or even interested in such a thing.  Add to this the fact that he was, well  _him,_ and Tori was almost beside herself.  Whatever she had planned to say went right out the window, along with her nerves, as she melted under his touch.

"You have nothing to fear.  You are all mine, and I will never let you forget that," Loki murmured against the soft skin beneath his hands and lips.

He took her left breast in his mouth and laved it with his tongue.  She cried out and twined her fingers in his hair when he took her nipple between his teeth.  Loki only paused long enough to give the same attention to its twin.  Tori's breathing was labored as she moved herself further up on the bed.  She finally got to see him fully now.  Her eyes greedily roamed his body, taking in his pale skin, his lean and defined muscles, the contrast of the dark hair at his navel against his skin...

Loki saw Tori's eyes widen as they fell upon his erect and throbbing cock.  He grinned at her as he crawled onto the bed and caged her with his arms and torso.  Tori grabbed his ass and tried to draw him into her.  With a wolfish grin, he looked down at her, "Patience, Vittoria.  I'm going to make sure that you get enjoy this ass as much as I am going enjoy yours."

"You heard all tha-oh!  OH!"

He slid his fingers between her folds, teasing her already drench entrance.  Tori thrust her hips up into his hand as the rest of her sentence died with a wanton moan, begging him to slide his fingers in further.  As he did, Loki groaned, "Oh, sweet Vittoria.  Is this all because of me?"

"Yes.  You know it is," Tori answered through the cry that escaped her lips as his fingers curled inside her and worked against her slick, fluttering walls.  With his fingers inside her, Loki's thumb lightly circled the overly sensitive bundle of nerves that had been begging for his touch.  Tori saw stars as she came against his hand, grasping at the pillow under her head and screaming.

Tori's body convulsed around Loki's fingers as she undulated against him.  She whimpered when Loki withdrew his fingers. Her eyes fixed on him, she shuddered as he took the arousal gathered on his hand and stroked himself with it.  Tori was mesmerized watching Loki's eyes close and his mouth hang open.  His breath came out in a huff, his head thrown back and the pulsating veins in his neck exposed.  Shyly, Tori's hand curled around his manhood to replace his as she stroked him.  Loki's eyes snapped open, the glint that Tori saw there set her right back to throbbing with need.  Her skin was flush, making her blue eyes appear brighter than usual.  When her hand reached the head of Loki's manhood, her thumb brushed the tip of it and spread his weeping arousal.

With an inhuman growl, Loki pulled Tori up to straddle his lap as he began to breach her small slit with the blunt tip of his penis.  Tori muffled her cry at this invasion by latching her lips to Loki's neck, just below his ear.  His hand on her hip and the middle of her back supported her, while Tori clung to Loki with her arms around his shoulders.  As he whispered soothing words against her lips, her body began to relax and adjust to him.

"Oh, that's it," he hissed as the rest of his length buried inside her.  "You are so tight, Vittoria."

Even when Tori began to tentatively roll her hips against him, Loki remained still and enjoyed the deliciously snug heat.  Only when Tori gave a slight nod, her lips parted and her breath panting, did Loki begin to thrust slowly and deeply inside her.  Loki kept a hand on her hip to maintain their steady, unhurried pace.  When Tori's cries escalated to euphoric screams, Loki began to swivel his hips as he thrust deeper.  When she threw her head back, the ends of her hair tickled at Loki's hand that was on her back.  The room was filled with Tori's screams, the slap of Loki's hips meeting the inside of her thighs, mingling with Loki's guttural moans into Tori's shoulder as his bit and suck the tender skin at her collarbone.

Tori's breathing became frantic against his neck, his name prayer on her lips as she raced toward the edge.

"That's it, Vittoria.  Come again for me," Loki said as his thrusts grew more erratic.

His name passed Tori's lips as a drawn out wail amidst wordless cries when she came again.  Her body clinched around Loki as he kept rutting into her.  Tori never considered a man's grunting during sex to be an especially arousing sound.  While Tori's gushing climax drove him to his own completion, Loki's grunts punctuated his movements and only served to drive Tori mad.  His grip on Tori's hips left bruises as he roared her name with his face turned skyward.  She chase her third orgasm since his didn't seem to end.  Loki sent her over the edge with one last thrust as he completely emptied himself inside her.  They held tightly to each other; Tori's legs wrapped around Loki's waist and his arms around hers.  He pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, which was damp with sweat while she caught her breath.

Laying Tori back onto the pillows behind her, Loki untangled himself and stretched out beside her.  She rolled onto her side to rest her head on Loki's shoulder, still breathing heavily.  With a deep inhale, Loki breathed them in: the combined scent of his arousal and hers, the warm smell that was uniquely hers mixed with his own skin.  His slender hands made languid circles from Tori's shoulders to the curve of her ass as he pulled her close.  His husky voice broke the silence of the room, "Mine."

Tori placed her open mouth against the junction of Loki's neck and shoulder in an attempt to give him an mark to match the ones on her shoulder and neck.  She must have had some measure of success, since it caused a hitch in his breathing.  "And you're mine," she replied as she curled into his side and rested her head on his shoulder.  Neither one of them could say how long they lay there, just reveling in the afterglow and the nearness of each other.  When he took hold of Tori's right leg to lift it over his hip, she winced.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Tori looked up into Loki's eyes and saw nothing but concern.  "No.  Well, not _that_ way.  I guess I'm still a little stiff from my time in the infirmary."

Loki nodded with a slight frown, "You should have said something, darling.  Your injuries are no longer visible."

Running his hand along her bare hip and down her leg, Loki soothed away the twinge of tighten muscles and ligaments.  Tori felt the familiar cool Loki's seidr working its way through her tissues.  His hand remained on Tori's thigh, his thumb tracing the muscle along the side.

Tori remained in Loki's arms as she stretched.  "So aside from the unemployment bed, what other fun things do you have here?"

Loki cocked an eyebrow at her, "What do you mean by 'unemployment bed?'"

"You know.  A bed so comfortable that you'd rather spend time in it than get up and go to work.  So, you end up losing your job and being unemployed," Tori said with a satisfied smile.

Chuckling at her reply Loki said, "Well, Vittoria, I imagine that any bed that we share would be considered an 'unemployment bed.'  I know that I certainly would not want to leave it.  I'm sure that I could convince you to stay in bed as well."

"Oh, smooth talker!  I suppose that's why you're called 'Silver-tongue,'" Tori laughed.

Rolling over the top of her, Loki gave her a ravenous look.  "Oh no, darling.  That's not the _only_ reason."

Before Tori could do anything, Loki was between her legs once more.  Only this time, he had her legs over his shoulders and his lips hovering over her mound.  Her eyes met his as he lowered his mouth to delve into her folds.  Closing his eyes, Loki breathed in the scent of her arousal and traces of his own that still weeped from inside her.

"Vittoria, you are so beautiful.  Just like this," Loki breathed out as his eyes devoured the woman laid out before him.  With a mischievous wink, his flattened tongue swiped at the swollen lips of her intimate parts.  Reflexively, Tori's hips jerked forward as her back bowed against the bed.  Her eyes closed at the sensation with a moan.

"Look at me, Vittoria," Loki's voice was soft but commanding.  Sitting up on her elbows, her eyes met his.  The lower half of his face hidden between her thighs.  "I want you to watch me."

Tori's eyes never left his, but she couldn't help thrusting against his mouth.  Loki hummed his approval of her movements, the deep rumble shooting through her and causing her legs to give way.  Loki's hands kneaded her ass as he angled her toward him and buried his face further.  The tip of his nose brushed her swollen pearl as his tongue dipped into her.  The ecstatic cry that passed her lips caused Loki to repeat this until he could feel and taste her arousal on his tongue and dripping down his chin.  With one last, languid lick Loki crawled up Tori's body.  He was rock hard again and needed to be back inside her.

With a throaty groan, Loki slid into the liquid heat at her core.  Unlike their previous coupling, his thrusts were hard and fast.  Tori, had no chance to recover and had the wind knocked out of her with each thrust.  Soon, neither one of them could form words.  Their bodies took over and mindlessly pursued their own completion.  Coming together with enough force to make them quiver uncontrollably, Loki collapsed on top of Tori.  His breath caressed her ear and neck, sending a violent shiver through Tori's body.

Lifting his head to look at her, Loki brushed a sweat-soaked lock of hair away from Tori's face.  When his softly lips met hers, Tori could taste herself.

"You're trembling," Tori whispered with a sated smile.

Loki chuckled, "So are you, darling.  I rather enjoy making you tremble and scream for me."

He had no idea what time of day it was, but Loki suddenly felt a pang of hunger.  If he was hungry, his darling girl must be starving.  Slowly rising from the bed with a leisurely stretch, Loki drank in the sight of the woman who lay brazenly naked before him.  One appetite satisfied (for now), Loki offered his hand.  "We really should get something to eat, Vittoria.  It wouldn't do for you to faint in my bed.  Not from hunger, at any rate."

Tori chortled at this, "Humble, handsome, _and_ dynamite in the sack.  How did I get so lucky?"

Hauling Tori to her feet and crushing her body to his, Loki planted a bruising kiss on her lips.  When he pulled away, he looked down with a smirk.  "I am many things, Vittoria.  'Humble' is not one of them."


	26. Why Can't They Just Use Mobile Phones Like Everyone Else?

"Your Highness, I have been expecting you."

The God of Thunder stepped up to the foot of the dais on which the Gatekeeper stood.  "Then you know why I have come, Heimdall."

"Yes.  You wish to know what has become of Vittoria Scarpetti," the large golden-eyed man replied with a faint smile.  In all of the long years that he had known the Guardian, Thor knew that Heimdall was usually sparing with such looks.  It was times like these that he wondered whether Heimdall and Loki weren't opposite sides of the same coin.

"I did not see who took her from her home, but it is safe to say that it was someone with whom she is well acquainted."

"So she was taken against her will?"  Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir, prepared to head right back to Midgard or wherever Agent Scarpetti had been taken.

"Outwardly, she was most displeased to see him.  In her heart, however, she was overjoyed."  The way in which Heimdall said this invited Thor to read between the lines.  Being Loki's brother and having to deal with an increasingly cryptic All-Father, Thor knew well enough to make his own interpretation.  He also knew that Heimdall could not voice his suspicions outright without having first shared them with his king.  If he had, Odin surely would have dispatched men to bring Loki back to Asgard for having taken Agent Scarpetti.

His posture visibly relaxing with relief, knowing that Tori was not in imminent danger, Thor asked "Is she still on Midgard?"

Again, the deep bass voice rumbled an evasive reply, "I did not see her depart that realm."

Thor was prepared to head back to Midgard and begin scouring the globe for his brother and the woman.  Before the Crown Prince could voice his thoughts, Heimdall addressed him, "If you seek to find her on Midgard, might I suggest starting with the lands you and Loki frequented in your youth?"

Turning to face the large golden-helmed man, Thor saw that Heimdall wore a meaningful look on his face.  "Thank you, Heimdall."

"Do not thank me yet, Highness.  I know why you are searching for Loki, and I am bound by honor to tell your father."  With that, Heimdall activated the Bifrost with his sword.

Above the whirring of the gears within the Observatory, Thor asked "Then why have you not already done so?"

"Because," the Gatekeeper answered with a smile, "he has not yet asked the right questions."

" _Watching Loki all this time must have made Heimdall more crafty_ ," Thor thought as the Bifrost drew him into the tunnel to hurl him back to Midgard.

* * *

"This bathroom is obscene, Loki!"

As she spoke, Vittoria was standing in the middle of the large rug, the pile so thick that she sank up to her ankles.  The God of Mischief was beyond amused by Vittoria's reaction to what she considered an opulent bathing chamber.  "Only the bathroom, darling?  Or are you referring to what we've been doing here?"

By Loki's standards, it was quite comfortable but far from the luxury he had known on Asgard.  With a plush bath sheet wrapped around her, the edges dragging along the floor, Vittoria turned a full circle to take in the entire room.  As she turned, Loki saw various bruises and bite marks that decorated her shoulders and neck.  The two had just emerged from the shower, which she had observed was large enough to allow eight people comfortably and "ten if they don't mind getting cozy."

Of course, Loki would have preferred to use the bathtub (or "the twelve-person Jacuzzi" as Vittoria called it), but he thought that showering would be more efficient.  It wasn't.  Loki couldn't very well let his lovely mortal just bathe herself.  What had happened after they stepped under the running water was Vittoria's fault.  At least according to Loki's reasoning.  If Vittoria had not been so responsive to his touch as he worked the lather in her hair or the suds over her body, then it would not have been necessary to pin her to the wall, the squeaking of her ass against the wet stone tiles keeping time with his thrusts.  Nor would he have needed to take extra care to wash her a second time before taking her from behind while his fingers expertly worried her swollen button to have her fall apart beautifully for him.

Stepping behind her, Loki pressed himself to her back and wrapped his arms around her waist.  His cool lips met the marks on her body, soothing the ache but not removing them.  He watch in the floor-to-ceiling mirror as Vittoria closed her eyes and leaned back into him.  She melted into his embrace as he gently swayed her from side to side.  Her full backside rubbed against his cock, causing it to twitch and harden once more.  Loki was about to back away, scolding himself for not getting her dressed and fed by now, but then a moan escaped her when his lips landed at the junction of her neck and shoulder.  " _Yes_ ," Loki thought as he watched their reflection to see her hands loosen their grip on the bath sheet and let it fall away, " _it is entirely her fault_."

Backing up to the velvet upholstered bench next to the enormous bathtub, Loki sat down and aligned himself with Vittoria's slick entrance.  Holding on to her hips, he guided her down until he was completely sheathed within her.  Loki watched her reactions in the mirror before them; Vittoria writhed against him, eyes closed and moaning his name.  Seeing their reflections and feeling her pulsating warmth around him was almost enough to make him come right then and there.

"Watch us, Vittoria.  Watch us and touch yourself," Loki growled as he gained control of himself and drove deeper into the molten heat of her cunt.

With a surprised gasp at this harsh thrust, Tori's eyes snapped open.  Her trembling fingers began to frantically rub at her clit while her free hand gripped Loki's knee.  Hissing at the pain of her nails digging into his knee and the squeezing of her hot channel, Loki tightened his grip on Tori's hips and used her to fuck himself.  He watched in the mirror and looked down where they were joined to see himself glistening.  He breath caressed Tori's neck as he kept a running commentary in her ear.

"Look at how beautiful you are.  Impaled on my cock, your body begging me to fill it over and over again.  I wish that you could see the view from back here."

At the sound of his beautiful voice uttering such filthy words, Tori began to swivel her hips each time Loki lowered her, desperate to have him come with her.  Watching Vittoria and her reflection, feeling her tighten around him, hearing her sweet noises and the wet sounds of their coupling drove Loki closer to the edge.

Tori came with sobbing relief.  Loki exploded inside her when she did.  Slumping back against him, Tori rested the back of her head against Loki's shoulder and she placed a heated kiss on his neck.  Wrapping a long arm around her middle, Loki held her in place as he kissed her parted lips and stroked her hair.  Still inside her, Loki could feel his seed and her essence weeping out around him and down her legs.  Rubbing the tip of his nose against hers, Loki chuckled "We will never leave my chambers if we don't get dressed."

Tori was about to say that if he could manage to let her put on some damn clothes, they might have a fighting chance.  However, her stomach chose that moment to growl embarrassingly loud.  Laughing at this, Loki lightly squeezing his arm around Tori's middle as he did, their foreheads touching.  He rose from the bench, taking Tori with him.  With a wave of his hand, Loki had cleaned them both, dried their hair, and gotten them both dressed.  The swoosh of air around her made Tori jump; then she looked down and saw what Loki had done.  He had dressed her in a blue cashmere sweater and soft black jeans.  He was wearing the casual version of his everyday attire: a green long-sleeved tunic and black leather trousers.  For some reason, he had left both of them barefoot.

"You're terrible!  You mean that you could have done that the whole time?"

Gathering her in his arms, he grinned rakishly at her.  "Of course, darling.  But aren't you glad that I didn't?"

She shook her head as she chuckled at him.  "You are insatiable, you know that?"

He tilted her face up to look at him, his fingers lightly brushing her temple as he tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.  "Three months, Vittoria.  That's how long it's been since I first saw you.  I have wanted you all this time.  I could not bring myself to admit it.  Now that I have had you, I cannot get my fill of you.  In fact, I don't believe that I ever will."

Tori was stunned at Loki's admission.  As if the last 24 hours hadn't been surprising enough.  He was basically confirming what everyone around her had been telling her, but that she couldn't believe.  The weight of this realization hit her like a ton of bricks.  It was written all over Tori's face because Loki now looked at her with concern and fear.  "Vittoria, are you alright?"

She couldn't think of anything to say to him.  How was she supposed to reply to that?

I've wanted you, too?

Everyone else could see it, but I couldn't?

I'm just a mortal, so why me?

Instead of trying to find words, she took his face and both hands and brought his lips down to meet hers.  She poured all of her feelings into that one kiss, hoping to say with actions what she couldn't say with words.  Her actions seemed to have taken him by surprise; Loki's posture was almost as stiff and awkward as the first time she had given him a hug.  It didn't take long, though, for him to relax into her embrace and return her kiss.  He reluctantly broke away and rested his forehead against hers as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"For what?"

"For everything that you've said and done for me.  I know that it hasn't been easy being my friend.  It won't be any easier now, but I will be always been there when you need me.  Now, I am famished.  Which means that you must be starving."

Placing one last kiss on his lips, Tori took his hand.  "Yes!  I've gotta keep up my strength."

"You have only yourself to blame, Vittoria.  You are far too irresistible," Loki grinned as he slipped his arm around Tori's waist and took them to the kitchen.

* * *

Tori was seated at the island in the middle of Loki's kitchen, swinging her bare feet as she rested her elbows on the stone countertop. 

"So you were spying on me?"

Loki had managed to pull a tray full of pastries out of thin air as they entered his kitchen.  She had set the coffee to brew while he started cutting up some fruit.  He continued working as he looked up at her with a faint smile.

"Not spying.  Checking up on you.  You had me worried those first few days."

Tori replied, "You left me in good hands.  Bruce and Helen patched me up alright."  She then added with a playful smirk, "You still haven't told me what you were doing, exactly.  Aside from knowing that you eavesdropped on my girls' game night, I don't have a clue what you've been doing."

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop.  I was only trying to decide when and how to bring you here, Vittoria.  Of course, if I had not stayed through that delightful game, you wouldn't be here," he chuckled.

"Yeah, here.  No one knows where 'here' is.  I'm not entirely sure myself.  Aside from the country, that is."

"Do not fear, Vittoria.  We shall address that issue soon enough."

As he finished prepping breakfast, Loki regaled her with his exploits.  He told her about his trip to Knowhere, and how he had a run-in with Thor and the Warriors Three.  Hearing that Fandral got fresh with him made Tori double over in laughter.

"I'm glad that you find it amusing, Vittoria.  Fandral making a pass and pinching my ass is not my idea of fun.  Although, it was amusing to see his face when I dumped a tankard of ale in his lap."

This made her laugh even harder as she replied, "Well if your vanity would allow you to shape shift into average-looking people, maybe you wouldn't have that problem."

Loki pretended to consider what she said.  "No.  No, that just won't do.  That goes against my very nature."

"Then I guess that you will just have to suffer the burden of being beautiful all the time," Tori said as she handed him a cup of coffee.

Pretending to heave a heart-felt sigh Loki replied, "Yes, I suppose that we all have our burdens to bear."

Their very late breakfast concluded, Loki took Tori by the hand and teleported them to a room that didn't seem to have a door.  Two walls were lined floor to ceiling with shelves, loaded down with jars, urns, books, scrolls, and more than a few objects that she couldn't readily identify.  Another wall had a heavy workbench that looked as if it had roundtrip journeys to hell at least once a day, every day, for the last several decades.  That wall also had shelves, along with pegs and hooks for all sorts of tools whose purpose Tori could only hazard a guess.  In front of a large hearth (which naturally had a cauldron hanging above the flames) was a big leather wingback chair with matching ottoman with a side table stacked high with heavy tomes written in languages Tori didn't recognize.

"This," Loki explained, "is my workshop.  To make sure that no one accidentally finds there way in here, I have it hidden in the walls of my home.  It can only be accessed by me."

Something caught Tori's eye on one of the shelves when it moved.  She stepped closer to a large terrarium-looking vessel that seemed to contain a small flame that never went out.  The longer she stared at the flame, the more Tori could make out the figure of a lizard.

"Be careful with that.  It's a Muspelheim basilisk."

As soon as Loki came to stand next to Tori, the lizard flared up and illuminated the glass case and the shelves around it.

"What are you doing with a lizard that can spontaneously combust?"

Loki shrugged, "I caught him thinking that he would come in handy, one day."

As the reptile (could it be called a reptile if it was made of fire?) calmed down, Tori stepped closer to the shelf.  "What does he eat?"

"Anything flammable.  They do not feed often, but when they do one of those creatures can incinerate an entire forest in a matter of seconds."

"And you have him in your workshop?  Awesome," Tori said as she gave him a sideways glance.

Loki looked down at her and replied somewhat defensively, "He's contained.  I've enchanted it so that the temperature is controlled and he cannot melt the glass to escape."

She looked up at him with a smirk.  "I don't want to hear anymore guff from you about my fascination with fire, Mischief.  At least I don't keep flame lizards in my garage."

"He is actually not the most dangerous thing in here, you know.  But I brought you here so that you could at least let Charles know of your whereabouts."

Gesturing toward a mirror on the wall, that shimmered and rippled as it caught the light.  "I know that it is not your usual mode of communication, but it will be far more safe and effective than using your mobile phone.  Which, by the way, is not here."

"Well, I don't know how to dial a magic mirror," Tori smirked.  "Do I channel the wicked queen from Snow White?"

Loki just gave her a puzzled look.

"Right.  We need to get you caught up on Disney movies," she replied.  "If you don't mind," she said as she waved her hand at the mirror.

Loki stepped up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist.  Leaning in to her, Loki spoke in a soft voice.  "Just close your eyes and think of your brother.  The mirror will do the rest.  It will find him and show you his face.  When it does, you will be able to speak to him as if you were standing in front of him."

Tori did as he said.  When she opened her eyes, the glass of the mirror had solidified.  She saw not a reflection of her and Loki, but Charlie approaching the counter in the common area's kitchen back at Stark Tower.  He was holding a plate with a gluttonously huge sandwich and potato chips in one hand and a can of pop in the other.  Apparently, she was looking at him through the reflection of the stainless steel refrigerator door.

"You may speak to him now, darling," Loki whispered in her ear.

* * *

All Charlie wanted to do was stuff his face and watch some football.  After the morning he had with SHIELD, he had been trying to figure out a way to contact Tori.  Thor was gone and Tori's phone had been left in her apartment.  He had no doubt that she was with Loki.  Not that Charlie (or Nonna) that it was a bad thing.  Loki's timing, however, could have been better.  At least with Loki, Charlie was sure that his sister was safe.  Well, _safer_.  "Tori" and "safe" didn't belong in the same sentence.  He was just about to tell Friday to turn on the Mountaineers game, when he heard his name being called...from the fridge.

Out of the corner of his eye, Charlie saw something on the fridge door.  He slowly turned his head so that he could face it directly.  When he did, Charlie jumped off the barstool and fell backward, away from the counter.  He had seen Tori and Loki, smiling back at him when he turned to face the direction of the voice.

Scrambling to his feet, Charlie heard and saw the pair doing a poor job of hiding their amusement.  "You're a fine pair of assholes, you know that?  You can't just go around scaring people that way!"

Tori snorted in reply.  "Sorry, Charlie.  At least I waited for you to set down your plate.  By the way, did Thor make that sandwich?  I've seen infants smaller than that."

Charlie righted the stool and plopped back down at the counter.  "He's not here.  He went to Asgard, but is supposed to be back any day."

Tori could feel the eyeroll and hear it in Loki's voice, "No doubt he is looking for me.  Vittoria is right about the sandwich, Charles.  You might slip into a food coma after that."

"Says the guy who eats half a pan of lasagna in one sitting, all by himself, then has dessert on top of that," Charlie chuckled.

Clearing her throat, Tori interrupted the sibling-like bickering between the two.  "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I'm fine.  Be a pal and tell the others, would you?"

"Wait a minute!  Are you planning to come back any time soon?  There's some weird shit going on, and I have a feeling it has to do with what Hydra and those two bitches were doing," Charlie was now on his feet again and staring intently at the image in the steel door.

Tori looked over her shoulder at Loki.  "What do you think?  Did they tell you anything?"

"Not yet, but I know exactly where to find them.  Fear not, Charles.  Your sister and I will return as soon as we are able.  In a few days at most," Loki said.  With that, the image of Charlie in the Tower's kitchen began to waver.

"Bye, Charlie.  Tell Mom, Dad, and Nonna that we said 'hi'," Tori called out before he faded from view.

Charlie, meanwhile, was now standing in front of fridge.  Grasping the edges of the door he shouted, "What! Hold up, you two!  Where the fuck are you?"

"Ahem."

Charlie turned around slowly to see Stark and Rogers staring at him from the living room.  Cocking an eyebrow, a sardonic Tony asked, "Why are you yelling at my fridge, Charlie?"


	27. "Trouble" is His Middle Name

Thor touched down on a rocky outcrop in the midst of an ancient forest.  When he and Loki were young, they often joined Odin as he wandered Midgard.  While he and Loki had been told to simply observe their father as he guided the fate of mortals, Loki was more often than not able to convince the God of Thunder that Odin needed their "assistance."  Of course, Odin would have to deal with an even bigger incident than the one that had brought them to Midgard in the first place.  It also meant that Thor would get left holding the bag when things went sideways while Loki (usually) got off Scot-free...at least until Odin figured out what had happened.  Those occasions became few and far between as they got older and Loki became more cunning.  Loki never let Thor live down that time that he lost Mjolnir...

In an earlier time, the peoples of this land would pray to Odin or Thor for intervention.  However, if their prayers went unanswered, they would turn to Loki as the god of making the impossible, possible.  Right now, Thor was hoping for just that: that he could find Loki before the All-Father did.  Revving up his hammer, Thor took to the sky and skimmed the tops of the trees and keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of the unusual.  He came to the edge of the land and now found himself flying over the open sea, heading toward a volcanic island that Loki used to enjoy visiting.  It had given him a place to practice his magic that was somewhat away from prying eyes.  At the very least, it was far enough away from the mainland to prevent the God of Mischief from causing _too_ many natural disasters.

* * *

"I thought that you said the weather was perfect for a swim!" Tori exclaimed through chattering teeth.  

Even while wearing thick, soft socks, knee-high boots, and blue down-filled coat, she still found the weather made her want to huddle next to a bonfire with a thermos of schnapps-spiked hot cocoa, not dive into water of dubious temperature.  She and Loki wove their way through the gardens, hand in hand, toward the bluest body of water she had ever seen.  Try as she might to enjoy the scenery, she wasn't exactly prepared for the crisp, bordering on frigid, clear air.  Loki, however, seemed perfectly comfortable.

"It is.  The sun is shining and there is nary a cloud in sight.  I have it on good authority that you will go swimming in the dead of winter," Loki playfully smirked at her.

"Uh, yeah.  In an _indoor_ pool!  That's heated!  This," Tori said as she released his hand so she could rub her upper arms to get the blood flowing, "is not what I consider swimming weather.  I'm going to freeze to death!"

Loki's hand clutched at spot above his heart in mock horror.  "My darling Vittoria!  Where is the trust?  I would never allow you to freeze!"

They were now at the edge of the water, with its wisps of steam curling up into the chilly air.  " _Yeah, that's never a good sign_ ," Tori thought as she looked out over the glassy surface.

Loki watched her as she took in the scenery.  He found himself entranced by her despite the beauty of the land surrounding his home.  Watching Vittoria, it was as if he was seeing this place for the first time.  Her wide-eyed gaze took in the brilliant greens muted by the stoney browns and grays, contrasting with the lagoon and brilliant sky.  Her hair caught the sun, the slight breeze curling it about her face.  The mild exertion of walking and the cool air made her cheeks rosy.

Then, Loki got an idea of just how he was going to get Vittoria to join him for a swim.

Tori had been so occupied staring at the lagoon and trying to figure out if the water was much warmer than the air that she didn't hear Loki sidle up to her.  When he put his hand at her hip, Tori looked up to see eyes that put the greenery around them to shame.  She had never noticed before, but Loki's hair was so dark it almost had a blue sheen in broad daylight.  It was a stark contrast with his alabaster skin, making him almost too perfect to look at.  It might have been a trick of the light, but Tori also thought that his skin seemed to reflect the sky with a faint blue tint.

"Are you certain that you won't go swimming?" he asked as he drew Tori to him.  He kissed her temple and let his lips roam down to her ear, stopping only to nip at her earlobe.  Loki pulled away when he heard a breathy sigh so that he wouldn't be tempted to strip her down and take her right where they stood.

Tori looked back toward the water, still shimmering blue in the sunlight.  When she turned back at Loki she replied, "I think that I'll wait for the weather to warm up a bit before I do.  I'll stay on the shore and hang out, though."

"I'm afraid, Vittoria, that this is as warm as the day will get."  With that, Loki backed away his fingers trailing down her arm all the way to her fingertips.  As he did, Tori saw that his clothes faded away.  His finely chiseled body was completely bare as he began to wade into the lagoon.  There was no hesitation in his gait as he slipped into the water.  Tori had the strangest deja vu as she watched Loki, only this time she was openly staring at him.  She admired his powerful shoulders, the long line of his back, his perfectly muscled ass...

"LOKI!" Tori suddenly shrieked, "GIVE ME BACK MY CLOTHES!"

The black-haired rogue was laughing himself silly, having now submerged himself.  He turned around to face the shore, up to his neck in the water with the ends of his hair floating in the water about his shoulders.  He was watching Tori furiously looking about her for something, anything, to cover up.  Gooseflesh had formed the moment the air assaulted her skin and her breasts ached from the cold.  In addition to vainly searching for her clothes, Tori was hopping from one foot to the other in an effort to minimize the contact her feet had with the freezing ground.  As her bare feet clapped against the smooth rocks of the shore, she wrapped her arms tightly around her torso.  Not wishing for his precious darling to be uncomfortable any more, Loki called out to her.  "Vittoria, you had better get in the water if you do not wish to lose feeling in your limbs."

With a great deal of cursing and splashing, Tori rush head-long into the lagoon.  The warmth of the water stung as it met her already numbed feet while she shouted something about "a cocky, magical motherfucker."  Loki was still laughing as Tori swam toward him.  Now treading water just beyond arm's reach, Tori splashed him and thoroughly soaked his hair.  In spite of his sputtering at the mouthful of water he got, Loki kept on laughing.  "I suppose I had that coming, Vittoria.  However, you must owe that the water is quite warm."

"Alright, I'll give you that," Tori admitted as she continued to tread water and sulk.

Walking along the bottom of the lagoon, Loki came up to her and wrapped her legs around him as he wrapped his arms around her.  "There.  Is this not better?  I told you that I would not let you freeze."

"You know what?  I really do think that 'Trouble' is your middle name."

She tried to brood over being coerced into the water.  After all, working with Loki for the last three months had taught her how to get her sulk on like no other.  As hard as she tried, Tori found it difficult to do with Loki grinning at her.  And with his hands on her ass.  And her legs wrapped around him.  Now he was pressing kisses to her brow, her eyelids, her cheeks, the tip of her nose, finally landing at her lips.  Gently, he coaxed her lips open by working his against hers.  Once Tori dropped the pretense of being mad and returned his kisses, things began to get heated.  Using the grip he had on her ass, Loki began to grind against Tori.  Twin moans escaped them and Loki's lips left Tori's so that he could plant them along her neck.  Everything came to a screeching halt when they heard a familiar, booming voice calling out from the air.

"Loki!  I know that you have to be here somewhere!  Come out!"

Tori and Loki locked eyes.  "Oh shit!  He can't see us, right?" Tori whispered.

Loki subtly shook his head, indicating that he had camouflaged them from Thor's sight.

Now Thor had landed nearby and was walking.  As he walked, his eyes roamed the landscape and he continued his one-sided conversation.

"I know that Agent Scarpetti is with you.  I'm not here to take you back to SHIELD.  I'm here because...because I need your help."

Thor plopped down on a large rock near the water and rested his forearms on his knees, Mjolnir at his feet.  "I need to find you before Father does.  Please, brother.  I need your help, and you are the only one I can turn to."

"He looks miserable, Loki.  Maybe you should see what he wants," Tori said in his ear.

Loki whispered his own reply, "It could be a trap."

Using her slender hand to grip his chin and turn his face toward her, Tori gave Loki a skeptical look.  "Really?  This is Thor we're talking about.  He doesn't have a poker face."

Both of them looked back toward the shore.  Thor had dejectedly risen from his spot and looked as if he was about to take to the air again.

Gently pushing Tori behind him, Loki called out, "Wait!"

Elation lit up Thor's face as a big grin split his face.  "Brother!  You have no idea how pleased I am to see you!  Uh?  That is, if I could see you."

Heaving a sigh, Loki dropped the illusion that hid him and Tori.  For her part, Tori clung to Loki's back to cover herself as best as she could, keeping even her arms below the water around his torso.  The water seemed pretty clear and she didn't want to take any chances.  She swore that she could feel arousal rolling off of him as she pressed closer to his back.  Loki, however, was the God of Giving-No-Fucks and seemed to have no issues with what Thor might see.  "State your business and maybe I can help you," Loki replied with more than a hint of annoyance.

"Ah, I didn't realize that you were swimming!  Perhaps I should join you..."

"That wouldn't be a good idea," Tori said as she peered over Loki's shoulder and waved sheepishly at Thor.

"Oh!  I, uh, I did not know that you were also in the water, Agent Scarpetti," the God of Thunder said as he quickly cast his eyes downward at the rocks below his feet.

Tori gave Thor a smirking smile, "I think you can call me 'Tori,' Thor.  We know each other well enough to skip the formalities."

Thor laughed, "Yes.  I suppose I should consider you family, especially now."

Loki cleared his throat.  "Perhaps you would be so kind as to allow Vittoria and I to put on some clothes before we continue this conversation?"

Thor's face turned redder than his cape.  "Yes.  Perhaps that would be best."

The God of Thunder dutifully turned so his back was facing the lagoon.  Loki reached the shore first, magically drying and dressing himself.  Once Tori was out of the water, her teeth were chattering so much she thought they'd rattle right out of her head.  Thankfully, Loki was able to take care of her just as quickly as he had dried and dressed himself.  With both of them decent, Loki and Tori led Thor along the rocks toward Loki's house.

Upon reaching the house Thor turned to Tori.  "I hope that you don't mind, Tori.  The matter I must discuss with Loki is a bit...um, private?"

Tori raised her eyebrows slightly, then glanced at Loki.

"It's alright, Vittoria.  Help yourself to the library, in the meantime.  Thor and I will not be long."

Once Tori had excused herself from the sitting room, Loki waited until her footsteps faded down the hall.  Now, facing his brother with a thoughtful scowl he said, "What could you have to say to me that you could not say in front of Vittoria?"

Thor rubbed at the back of his neck, as he always did when he was uncomfortable speaking.  Which is to say, any time he wished to talk _with_ , rather than _at_ , his brother.

"You know of my feelings for Jane, as you know doubt know of Father's thoughts on those feelings."

Loki dismissively waved his hand.  "As does every other being in the Nine Realms.  What of them?"

"I wish to ask Jane to marry me, brother.  However, it is now that I must admit that you were right."

"I beg your pardon?" Loki replied with a cocked eyebrow, "I believe I may be losing my hearing.  It sounded like you said I was right about something."

"Is it so hard to believe that I respect your council, Loki?  Even in the past, before...well, before.  You were right about many things, and I was a fool to dismiss it.  I am referring to what you said about my never being ready to lose Jane.  That is why I need your help."  Thor was looking at his feet as his said this, thoroughly humbled at having to admit that he had often cast aside his brother's advice in favor of his own flawed reasoning.

Loki's desire to gloat over this admission was tempered by how contrite his brother looked.  Somehow, he had imagined that this moment would be far more satisfying that it really was. Instead he said, "You know as well as I that I am not capable of making her immortal, brother.  Not by any arts that I possess."

"I am not talking of your magic, brother.  I need your help to obtain something for Jane."

Loki's eyes widened at the realization of what Thor was suggesting.  "You expect me to just waltz into Idunn's orchard, pluck one of those golden fruits from its tree, and then saunter out as if it were nothing?"

"Loki, I know that you have done it before..."

"For sport!  And Mother always knew and always, ALWAYS made me return it so that Idunn wouldn't tell Fa- Odin.  Speaking of, what makes you think that this will change your father's opinion on the matter?"

"His only objections stem from Jane's mortality.  If she were like us, enough like us to have life and health beyond that of a human, then what other objection could he raise?"

"The fact that you are the Crown Prince.  That your marriage should be one advantageous to political alliance.  That even as charming and clever as your lady love is, she is of common birth and unsuitable as a future queen..."

"What of your love for Tori?"

"You know damn well that Odin does not give the hair off a bligesnipe's ass what I do in that regard!"

"Your marriage prospects are just as much a bargaining chip as mine," he countered.

Loki snorted, "Oh, yes.  The disgraced, adopted Prince of Asgard and equally disgraced, cast-off Prince of Jotunheim.  What a bargain, indeed!"

"You mean to say that you would not feel as you do if you still had the privileges of a title?"

"Do not presume to know my mind, brother!  Or my heart!  You know not the lengths to which I would go for that woman!"

Thor's expression softened.  Clamping a paw on Loki's shoulder, he smiled.  "I think that I do, brother.  Which is why I came to you."

Loki, for the first time in a long time, returned his brother's smile.  "Then I suppose we had better get started."

* * *

Tori helped herself to the kitchen, making herself a pot of tea and finding some amaretto cookies in the pantry (most likely from a recipes that Loki had wheedled out of Nonna).  Taking the ladened tray, she went to the library and set herself up with one of Loki's books.  It took her a while to find something that she could read, since many of the books were written in what she assumed was Asgardian.  Although, she also noticed books of similar script but with slight variations in the characters and the style of writing.  All of them had the appearance of being hand-lettered.  Of these books, the ones that contained illustrations fascinated Tori.  The illustrations actually moved, having the same detail and saturated colors as illuminated manuscripts that she had seen on trips to Europe.  She could have spent days and weeks just looking at the pictures.

Deciding that she'd have to ask Loki to teach her how to read his language, Tori settled in with a beautifully bound and illustrated edition of _The Fellowship of the Ring_ that she had never seen before.  Not seeing any publishing information on the first few pages, Tori assumed that Loki must have conjured it somehow.  She kicked off her boots and snuggled into the large sofa, under a soft blanket ( _her_ blanket, which she planned to ask him about) with the impressive volume.  It was in this position that Loki and Thor found her when they had finished their brotherly chat.

"Did you two have a nice visit?" Tori asked as Loki and Thor entered.  She made to get up from her spot on the couch, but Loki motioned for her to stay.  He seated himself next to Tori, wrapping his arm around her.

Thor sat in one of the armchairs opposite them, with a funny little smile on his face.  "We did.  I think that it is the first time in a very long time that Loki and I spoke as brothers without it ending in an argument or things being destroyed."

"Do you plan on staying?  Or are you heading back to see Jane?"

Loki answered for him.  "Thor is planning to stay for the night, returning to New York in the morning.  We will return at the end of the week, as planned."

Looking from Loki to the burly blond who was wedged into the chair across from them, Tori replied "Why do I have a feeling that you two are up to no good?"

Thor laughed heartily.  "I knew that she was clever, Loki, but I didn't realize that Tori already knew how to tell when you're about to cause trouble."

"Of course she is clever!  Vittoria would not have lasted long, otherwise.  And she is quite right.  We _are_ about to cause trouble," Loki smirked before placing a soft kiss on Tori's lips.  "Besides, I was just informed earlier today that it's my middle name."


	28. Two Peas in a Pod

"No, Fury!  They didn't tell me where they are!"

Charlie had been asked the same question by no less than five people already and was starting to get irritated.  All he wanted was a lazy Saturday afternoon, but thanks to his sister and Loki, that was not to be.  After Captain America and Tony Stark had seen him shouting at the fridge door that had formerly held Tori and Loki's reflections, Charlie was obliged to explain just why he sounded like a raving lunatic.  To add insult to injury, Stark practically inhaled the other half of his sandwich while Fury was questioning him!

"Did you see anything that might give us a clue as to where they were?"

Taking a swig of his beer, Charlie shook his head.  "No.  They were in a room that didn't seem to have any windows."  A smirk crept across Charlie's face, "It looked like Gandalf's office if he decided to be a professor at Hogwarts."

Natasha covered her mouth to suppress a giggle.  Tony, on the other hand, let loose a not so subtle snort.  It was apparent that smartassery ran in the Scarpetti family.  Their reactions did not go unnoticed by Director Fury, who turned to face the two Avengers. Natasha instantly went stone-faced, while Tony kept on smirking.

"Oh, you think this all just a big joke, don't you?"

"C'mon, Fury.  In case you haven't noticed, something has been building between those two since they started working together.  Let them have time to themselves.  They'll get it out of their systems, then come back ready to get back to business," Tony said.  As he was an advocate of the "work hard, play harder" philosophy, the only thing he was upset over was that no one else got an invitation on this spectacular getaway that Tori was currently enjoying with Darth Emo.  On the other hand... " _No_ ," Tony thought, " _I don't want to be scarred for life seeing something I can't unsee_."

Fury narrowed his gaze at Stark.  "This is not match.com for misfits!  I do not have time for my senior agents and aliens of questionable allegiance to go on a quasi-honeymoon when there is work to be done!  We need both of them back here.  Has anyone heard from Thor?"

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room.  Steve eventually spoke up.  "No.  We haven't seen him since he left for Asgard, though he said that he would be back in a day."

"As soon as you hear from him, I want to know.  He had better have something better for me than talking to a kitchen appliance."

Fury shot Charlie a withering look at this last bit, before leaving the room.  All eyes turned back to the young man who sat with his feet propped up on the coffee table.  Charlie just shrugged.  "Stark, you're ordering me a pizza.  Who wants to watch some football?"

* * *

The Icelandic sunset found Thor, Loki, and Tori, seated on the veranda.  They were drinking wine (Loki had magically swiped some of Stark's better wines for Tori's consumption since he was concerned about her ability to handle the Asgardian vintages) and swapping stories.  The more they spoke, the more convinced Thor was that Tori and Loki were perhaps little _too_  similar.  She had just finished telling them about the time that she had posted her brother Johnny's truck for sale in the local photo ads.

"Johnny got phone calls for months after that.  It might have had something to do with the fact that it was a souped up classic and I had it listed for only $1000.  He burned through a ton of cell phone minutes answering all of those calls.  Mom and Dad actually had to get him a new number to stop his phone from ringing at all hours, especially after the high school complained about how disruptive he was."

Loki laughingly replied to Tori as he looked to Thor.  "Your brother is not the only one to get in trouble for being disruptive during his scholarly pursuits."

"That was all _your_ fault, Loki!  I had to re-write my lessons I don't know how many times because you kept removing the ink from the paper as I wrote!"

"Really?  You _still_ cannot prove that I had anything to do with that," Loki chuckled.

Thor grumbled, "No, but who else could it have been?"  He then turned to Tori to plead his case, "I was writing during lessons with one of our tutors, and the work was to be submitted before the hour was up.  Loki had made a wager that I couldn't finish as quickly as he, so I began to scribble furiously.  He was seated next to me, writing at a rather slow pace and humming to himself.  I had just reached the end of the exercises and was about to take my work to our instructor's desk, when I noticed that all of the pages were blank."

Loki picked up the story, "Meanwhile, while Thor was pitching his fit over the missing writing, I finished my work and took my time walking up to Lord Sigurd's desk.  In fact, I even gave Thor a chance to catch up with me.  I stopped to peruse a stack of books along the way.  Suddenly, Thor began to scream at his pen and the sheets of paper in front of him, 'Why won't it stay!?!  I know that I've written this page three times already!"  Loki said this last part in a perfect impersonation of Thor's adolescent voice, which had Tori clutching her sides as she laughed.

"Lord Sigurd was not pleased with my outburst.  In fact, I got an additional two assignments for it.  Only when Mother entered the room did my pen and paper go back to working as they should," Thor said as he pointedly looked at his brother.

Tori continued to laugh, both at the story and at the way the brothers to this day argued over it.  The look on Loki's face said "Sorry, I'm not sorry."  This made Tori laugh even harder.

"That sounds no worse than the things I did to my sister.  Once, I swapped my her class schedule with a cousin's schedule on the first day back from Christmas vacation.  My sister is annoyingly perfect at everything, and she's also a snot about it.  The cousin whose schedule I swiped wasn't dumb, but he was lazy.  He also has the same initials as Angela, so the switch was easy.  She made it until lunchtime before she realized that she had his classes."

Chuckling, Loki asked, "What gave it away?"

"When she walked to a block of classrooms she had never been before and realized it was auto shop," Tori grinned.  "Like I said, Antonio isn't dumb.  Shop was the only class he liked.  He's a great mechanic with his own shop now.  The poor bastard had landed in Angie's French class, while she was in his favorite class, as a result of my prank."

"Did the shop teacher make your sister participate?" Loki asked with mild amusement.

"Oh, yeah.  He made her put on coveralls and crawl under his Honda to learn how to change the oil.  When she took out the filter, oil shot out everywhere.  It got on her face and in her hair.    We both got sent home for fighting with each other in the cafeteria during lunch that day.  I thought she was going to tear _my_ hair out by the roots when she figured out what happened.  That's how it's always been, though.  Angie is so uptight and perfect, and I'm so...not.  I don't know how we came from the same parents.  Then, she got back at me in the bitchiest way possible."

"How was that?"

"She started flirting with the guy I had a crush on.  He was in her class, and they ended up going to prom together.  Looking back, she accidentally did me a favor.  He turned out to be a real dumbass."

"To chose your sister over you?  Indeed he was," Loki replied as he made a mental note to come up with a suitable punishment for Vittoria's sister, just as soon as he learn what that woman would find most vexing.  His thoughts were interrupted by Tori announcing that she was going get dinner started.

As she rose from her seat and passed by Loki, he grabbed her about the waist and pulled her into his lap.  Tori let out a squeak at this, almost tumbling backward.  Loki held her off-balance and planted a kiss on her lips.  He heard Thor clear his throat but didn't release her until a beat after that.  Returning her to feet, letting his hand linger at the small of her back and trail down her ass as she stepped away.  Tori swayed a bit as she made her way back indoors.  Thor looked from her to his brother with a mix of embarrassment and amusement.  And maybe a hint of discomfort at being the third wheel.  Thor's expression did not go unnoticed by Loki.

"What?"

Thor shook his head with a grin.  "Nothing.  I am happy for you, brother.  I feared that I would have step in somehow...I'm glad that I didn't."

"As am I, Thor.  The Norns only know how badly that would have gone for everyone involved.  Especially for you."

Naturally, the brothers weren't going to tell Tori _everything_ , but Thor and Loki planned to share enough to let her know that a trip to Asgard was in the works.  When asked if he intended to take her along, Loki's initial reaction was something along the lines of "no fucking way."  It was bad enough that he was already going to sneak into Asgard to commit a bit of larceny.  In bringing Vittoria, Loki knew that he would be far too distracted with concerns over her possible discovery and her safety.  Thor seemed to not worry about the All-Father bearing any ill-will toward her, but the God of Mischief was not about to take any chances.

"Brother, she may prove to be an invaluable asset to our plan.  Are you certain that you will not reconsider?  I had thought to bring Jane with us.  Tori can at the very least stay with her."

"Oh brilliant, Thor!  Allow Odin to kill two birds with one stone!  Perhaps we should gift wrap Jane and Vittoria and leave them at the palace steps while we're at it?  Have you forgotten the last time that Jane was on Asgard?  To say nothing of what he would do to Vittoria if he even has an inkling of what she means to me."

Thor looked down and shuffled his feet at Loki's scolding.  "It was just a suggestion.  Besides, how much time do you think we will have to escape Asgard with our prize?  I think it would be best if Jane was there, rather than risk losing the apple on the return trip."

"The solution to that is simple.  We don't lose it."

Thor, for once, had an ulterior motive: he did not look forward to having to tell Jane that he was going back to Asgard, again, without her.  He also didn't want to tell her why he was going...or with whom he was going.  Loki knew his brother well enough to know what he was thinking.

"If you are loathe to tell Jane what you are doing, might I suggest that we allow Vittoria to act as an emissary?  I am certain that she can come up with a plausible explanation for your absence."

Thor brighten up at this.  "I agree.  Let us ask her!"  He jumped to his feet, eager to enlist Tori's help.

* * *

"Let me get this straight: you're scared of Jane.  Sweet, mildly space cadet, absent-minded professor, Jane.  And you want _me_ to run interference for _you_ while you and Loki go to Asgard on some mystery mission that is so top secret that you can't even tell me what it is?"

Tori bestowed a skeptical look on the God of Thunder over the rim of her wine glass before turning to Loki.  "Jane wants to go back to visit Asgard, but he's been stalling.  Hasn't he?"

Loki, thankfully, had just swallowed his last bite of his meal before Tori's question.  Otherwise, he might have choked from laughing at Thor's consternation over her accurately guessing the reason for his eagerness to have her assist them in this matter.

"Personally, I can see why she'd be pissed off.  I want to go to Asgard too, but for obvious reasons, I have not been able to go.  So..." Tori paused to take a sip of her wine, "I fully expect an awesome vacation there when you two are done doing whatever it is that you are going there to do."

"Does that mean that you will help?" Thor looked at her expectantly.

Tori gave him an indulgent look, "Yes, Thor.  I will help you.  Just promise to bring Loki back in one piece.  And you had better plan on taking Jane out on the most disgustingly romantic date ever to make up for your ducking out on her.  I'm not talking champagne and roses, either.  I mean you'll need buy out an entire four star restaurant for the evening and present her with ring that has a diamond the size of an ice rink."

Thor's jaw dropped, then snapped shut as he tried to cast a surreptitious glance in Loki's direction.  Tori caught the look between the two and let loose an uncharacteristic squeal, "OHMYGOD!  You're going to propose to her!!!"

"N-no, I'm not," Thor blundered and blustered for an excuse to for his reaction.  He looked to Loki for help.  Alas, the God of Mischief was having too much fun watching his brother's discomfort.  Tori kept needling him while Loki leaned back in his chair, swirling the garnet liquid in his wine glass with an amused smirk.

"Bullshit!  You don't think I've learned how to tell when you're lying, Thor?  I just straight busted your ass!"  Tori jumped up and down gleefully clapping her hands.  "When are you going to pop the question?  Are you going to take her Asgard to do it?  Oh man, what does your father think?  Never mind what your father thinks!  Have you met Jane's mom?  What does she think?  Who else knows?..."

Loki chuckled at Thor's failed attempts to deflect Vittoria's rapid fire questions.  Taking pity on the big oaf, Loki seized upon that last one.  "No one.  No one knows, Vittoria.  It is vital that things remain that way.  The errand Thor and I must undertake depends on absolute secrecy.  We three," he pointed around the table in a circle, "are the only ones that know.  Under NO circumstances are you to tell any one where we have gone."

Tori blinked at how suddenly serious Loki had gotten.  She nodded and said, "Of course.  I know how to keep a secret.  How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"Given what your brother said, I have business of my own to attend with certain prisoners of mine," Loki said darkly before turning a lighter expression to Vittoria.  "After that, I shall return you to New York while Thor and I head back to Asgard.  On the outside, we are looking at three days."

"Won't you draw a lot of attention using the Bifrost?" Tori asked, a bit disappointed that she would be heading back to New York early...and without Loki.  "Wait, what do you mean 'prisoners'?  Don't tell me that you have to two psycho bitches stashed somewhere!"

Loki grinned,  "To answer the first question, we would, if we were using the Bifrost.  There are other ways into the Realm Eternal...and the other realms.  We will be in and out of Asgard before we are even noticed.  As to the second question, do you want me tell you the truth?  Or do you want me to say 'no'?"

Tori began to rub her temples, as if trying to ease a sudden headache.  "I don't know if I should be happy that you didn't kill them yet so I can watch you knock them around for a bit, or if I should be anxious that they are still alive."

Rising from his seat, Loki took Tori's face in his hands.  "Listen to me.  Nothing will happen, I promise.  They cannot escape where I have sent them."

Tori's relief was palpable as she accepted Loki's kiss on the forehead.  Holding her so that her head rested on his chest he continued, "If you want, I will ward the house and take care things while Thor is still here."

"Indeed, Tori.  Loki would never knowingly put you in danger.  I would be happy to stay here and keep you company while Loki, uh, has a few words with Amora and Lorelei."

Loki gave Tori a squeeze as he nodded at Thor.  "Thank you, brother.  Of course," he added with a snide grin on his face, "I could always have you speak with Amora.  If memory serves me correctly, she was Hel-bent on being Queen of Asgard one day.  She may be more talkative with you."

"Oh no, Loki.  She's all yours," Thor demurred.

* * *

Leaving Vittoria and Thor in the main sitting room, Loki went about strengthening the wards of his home.  Once this was completed, he secluded himself in his workshop so that he could begin the work of building a doorway into a interdimensional space where he could access where he had been holding his prisoners without compromising the safety or secrecy of his home.  The portal closed behind him as he stepped into the space, which was Spartan in decor and lit by a floating orb above the table that was fixed to the floor.  No windows or doors to compromise the integrity of the stone walls in this space.  There were two chairs, one for him and one for whomever he decided to summon.  After careful consideration, Loki decided that he would start with Lorelei.

Casting the spell to bring her forth, the bewildered redhead landed with a heavy thud on the hard chair.  Even in the low light, Lorelei squinted and held her hand up to shield her eyes.  As her eyes adjusted to her surroundings and worked the mild atrophy from her limbs, her gaze fell upon her captor.  " _You!_  Where have you brought me?"

Loki let a cruel chuckle escape him as he slowly took the seat across from Lorelei.  "I believe that I will be asking the questions from here on out.  Although, because I am in a generous mood, I shall tell you that you are in the place of my choosing and you shall be returned to where I have had you hidden since you and your sister made the egregious error of not only taking, but harming, my precious one."

"We did not know how dear she is to you," Lorelei said as her bottom lip trembled and tears welled in her eyes.  "We were only told to bring you to heel for the Mad Titan.  He threatened us with endless pain and suffering if we did not use every means at our disposal."

Loki's spine stiffened at the mention of Thanos, but his face was expressionless.  His shift in posture did not go unnoticed, however.  Lorelei began to speak rapidly.  "You know of what I speak, Loki.   _He_ will not tolerate failure.  He knows that you have been here on Midgard.  He knows of your assistance to the ones that call themselves SHIELD and will be coming for you to collect his due."

"What did he offer you in exchange for your cooperation?  He offered me the rule of Midgard when he lent me the Chitauri, so long as I obtained the Tesseract.  Surely you and your sister made your own bargain," Loki inquired with a hardened gaze.

Lorelei scoffed at him, "Humph!  You believe that at this late hour that Thanos is willing to entertain negotiations from anyone?  He can taste victory, Loki.  All but one of the Infinity Stones have been uncovered.  Soon, he will have what he wants."

"All the more reason for you, and any being with any sense of self-preservation, to resist him!" Loki roared as he pounded his fist on the tabletop and rose so quickly that his chair fell backward.  Taking a deep breath through flared nostrils, Loki picked up his chair and returned to his seat.

Narrowing his eyes, he continued, "You still have not answered my question, Lorelei.  What did he offer you and Amora?"

Lowering her head, in a voice barely above a whisper she replied, "Asgard and Midgard.  Ours to rule or destroy as we saw fit, so long as we succeeded and remained his vassals."

He could not hold back the growl that came from deep within; as it was, Loki struggled to not shapeshift into any manner of wild beast to rend her flesh in the most savage manner possible.  Lorelei's head snapped up, her eyes meeting his own which glowed with fury.  She pressed her hands together as she pleaded with him, "We did not want Midgard!  Instead, we plan to leave it to Hydra.  They only wanted our aid to bring order throughout this entire realm.  They were most interested in enlisting your help to lead them.  I dare say that you would have obtained the better end of..."

With a wave of his hand, Loki cast Lorelei back into the dimension from whence she had been summoned.  Gripping the edge of the table, he waited for a few minutes before calling forth The Enchantress.  The mere thought of Thanos anywhere near Midgard nearly sent Loki into a tailspin.  His mind went through scenario after horrendous scenario, each one ending the same way: that he would once more be Thanos' prisoner and made to watch as Vittoria was utterly destroyed until, completely broken, her life was extinguished.  " _No_ ," Loki thought as he ground his teeth, " _it will not be that way.  I_ will not _let it come to pass._ "

His emotions in check, he inhaled deeply...and summoned Amora.


	29. She'd Sell You Down the River for a Nickel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the author proves that she is still among the living by providing an update.
> 
> Some plot, but mostly smut to make up for my absence.

As soon as Amora was brought forth, Loki conjured chains to bind her to the seat on the other side of the table from where he sat, his left arm draped over the back of his chair and his long legs sprawled out before him.  His loose-limbed posture belied the intensity of his stare as The Enchantress glowered at him.  The heavy silence was broken by her peeved voice asking, "Well?  What do you want from me?  Do you plan to make good on your promise to dole out a lashing?"

Amora looked about her, noting that the room was otherwise unoccupied.  "You didn't bring _her_ here?  I suppose she would be a bit squeamish, if you plan to use some of your more creative interrogation methods.  Or is it perhaps because such a thing would more closely resemble some of the...fun that we used to have," she said with a knowing grin.

Rolling his eyes Loki answered, "I find the prospect of such antics with _you_ quite dull these days.  I have better ways of occupying my time."

"So I gather," Amora tersely replied.  "She is quite a tender morsel, that one.  A bit impudent and, I daresay, quite fragile.  It's a wonder that you haven't broken her yet.  And how is your darling Vittoria?"

"You are not worthy to speak her name!" Loki hissed as he leaned forward, his green eyes flickering red.  Settling back to recline in his chair, he continued, "We are not here to discuss her.  I want to know, exactly, what Thanos has told you of his plans."

The Enchantress shrugged noncommittally.  "What could he have possibly told me?  I was only told bring you back into the fold.  If I did that and retrieved the Mind Stone and the Space Stone, then I would have my choice of realms to rule."

Loki smirked at her, "A bit difficult to rule a realm that does not exist, don't you think?"

"I was promised Asgard!  Free of encumbrance: no Odin, no Thor, and no you!  I would be queen in my own right!" Amora shrieked.

"Queen of Nothing, Amora!  Thanos means to destroy all the realms...nay, all of existence!  To unravel the very fabric of time and space until nothing, not even he, exists.  You may know the particulars of his immediate actions, but I know his endgame.  He is literally in enamored with Death.  So much so that he is willing to erase everything that was, is, and will be.  All as an offering to Death herself.  You are negotiating with a lion.  In the end, you will just get eaten last, Amora."

"When did the most powerful sorcerer in the Nine Realms become so fearful?" she asked mockingly.

His eyes narrowed as he growled, "Only the foolish do not fear Thanos' power.  When that power is combined with a will such as his, we should all be fearful.  You are a power-hungry, cold-hearted bitch Amora, but you are no fool."

"Well, I suppose I should take that as a compliment," she replied with cool condescension.  "Of course, you and your precious mortal cannot hide from him.  He knows that you have been hiding on this miserable rock.  He also knows of _her_."

Loki's face was immobile, but a faint flicker in his eyes betrayed that Amora had struck a nerve.

"Oh, yes," she purred menacingly.  "She is his contingency plan.  He will use her to bring you to your knees!  The only thing that Thanos promises in exchange for your cooperation is a swift death for her.  Otherwise, he will do for her what he did for you.  A slow, drawn-out torment just past the brink of death, only to revive her and begin again.  Unlike you, I doubt that your precious mortal will maintain even a shred of her sanity.  When he finally decides to end her life permanently, he will make sure that you have a front-row seat!"

By now, Amora's voice had become a shrill.  It was evident that she, for all of her bravado, was more fearful of failing Thanos that Loki had ever been.  As for Loki, his hands and eyes glowed with an eery green light and the chains encircling Amora's limbs, shoulders, and neck began to tighten, constricting her breathing until it was nothing but a harsh rasp.  It was only when she was on the verge of passing out that Loki commanded the chains to loosen.  Killing her before she had a chance to divulge what she knew would be of no use to him.  Even if it would bring him a measure of satisfaction.

"And just how would he know any of this, Amora?" he roared.  Loki had a vice grip on Amora's jaw and forced the chair to lean back so that its front legs were off the ground.  The panic in The Enchantress' eyes told him what he already knew: she had somehow communicated with the Mad Titan.  She had betrayed them all.

"If you cannot tell me anything of use, I shall make good on my promise to thrash you within an inch of your life.  I will do so _after_ I have allowed Vittoria some measure of revenge on you," he grinned cruelly, "and believe me when I say that I am more than willing to use my powers to increase her strength to inflict real damage on your person."

"There is...no stopping...him," Amora gasped painfully.  "Even now, he comes.  He will strike Nova Prime and Asgard once he has taken the Mind Stone and Time Stone from Earth."

Loki knew the other two locations currently held one Infinity Stone each.  Amora made no mention of Knowhere, which could only mean one of two things...

"You have not lost your faculties completely, Enchantress.  There are six Infinity Stones, and you have only accounted for four of them.  Where are the other two?"

With a dry cackle befitting an old crone, Amora's eyes locked on his.  "He already possesses the Aether, Loki.  The Collector lost it when his fortress was destroyed by that Celestial's halfling.  As for the Soul Stone, well, you know where that is.  Don't you?"

Without answering Amora's accusation, Loki imprisoned her once more.  He strongly suspected where he could find the Soul Stone but was loathe to admit it.  If he was correct, Thanos would achieve his goal in one fell swoop once he took Asgard.  Emerging from the space within his workshop, Loki kept walking until he was in the hallway.  Judging by the lack of light and the quiet, he assumed that Thor and Vittoria had already retired for the evening.  The clock standing in the hall indicated that it was 11:00 at night.  Loki's mind was racing, but the only thing he wanted right now was Vittoria.

He entered his room to see her seated in front of the fireplace with her legs dangling over the armrest on one of his chairs.  She was reading with a pillow wedged between her back and the other armrest and the blanket he had summoned from her home across her lap.  She had rummaged through his wardrobe looking for clothes that fit her, but apparently came up empty.  She was wearing one of his tunics.  The sleeves were comically too long and kept slipping past her elbows as she went to turn the page.

Movement just beyond the top of the book she was reading caught Tori's attention.  When she saw it was Loki, she set the book aside and made to extract herself from the chair.  Tori didn't get a chance to gain her feet; Loki cleared the distance in long strides was now bent over her.  He cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her fervently, like he hadn't seen her in ages.  "Wha- what happened?" she asked when he pulled away long enough to let her take a breath.

Loki didn't answer her with words.  Instead, he picked Tori up and let the book and blanket slide to the floor.  Loki laid her out on the bed, his lips not leaving hers.  Grabbing the tunic by the collar with both hands, he ripped it down the middle.  Tori gasped into his mouth at the unexpectedly aggressive move and the sting of the fabric tearing away from her body.  When she was finally allowed to catch a breath, she saw that Loki's clothes had vanished; the look in his eyes was starved.  Her pulse raced, arousal mingled with the fear of not knowing anything beyond the fact that Loki looked like he was not going to be gentle.

Grabbing her by the back of her knees, Loki pulled her down the bed toward him.  Grinding the heel of his palm against her mound, his fingers found her already swollen clit and began to mercilessly tease her.  His mouth also continued its assault on hers.  Tori became lightheaded with the his intensity.  As she felt her her orgasm building, Loki's fingers and mouth suddenly broke contact with Tori's body.  A whimper of frustration was at the back of her throat but emerged as a howl of pleasure when Loki drove himself into her.  He joined Tori with a filthy moan, fully sheathed inside her.

Loki completely drew himself out of her throbbing quim, only to hook Tori's legs over his arms before completely plunging back into her.  Tori had to flatten her palms against the headboard to keep from hitting her head with each thrust.  Feeling herself tighten further, Tori rocked her hips against his.  Loki fell forward, his hands landing on her wrists and pinning her to the bed and his mouth latching to her shoulder.  His teeth bared against her skin, Tori felt Loki mark her even further.  She cried out and came hard around his cock.  Without releasing his mouth from her shoulder, Loki groaned into it as his whole body shuddered with his release.

In contrast to the fucking that she had just gotten, Loki tenderly wrapped himself around Tori and buried his face in her neck.  Even before Loki removed himself, Tori felt sore and well-used.  Exhausted, she was about to let sleep take over when she felt Loki shaking.  It was soon followed by something wet on her neck.  When she brushed Loki's hair back, Tori saw a tear slide down his face from beneath his closed eyelids.  With an uneasy breath, he opened his eyes to see worry lines etched across Tori's brow.  "Loki?  What happened?"

For a few minutes, Loki said nothing.  He simply closed his eyes and ran his hands through Tori's hair and along her body, like he was trying to memorize how she felt.  When he opened his eyes they had taken on a haunted look.  That, and his struggle to find the words, were unsettling for Tori.  More than unsettling.  She did the only thing she could do: she held him.

When he finally did speak, it was with hesitation.  "Remember how I told you that I was compelled to invade Earth?"  When Tori answered with a nod, Loki continued, "The creature that sent me did so with the intention of obtaining the Tesseract for himself.  Within it, lies another Infinity Stone.  It was he that sent Amora and Lorelei to Earth to help Hydra."

As he spoke, Loki's hands never left her.  He continued to stroke her hair and skin as he told Tori about the other Infinity Stones, where they were, and what they did.  He spoke of what Thanos intended to do with them and how Amora and Lorelei, in a bid to save their own skins, had given away Loki's location...and his weakness.

"I will not let any harm come to you, Vittoria.  When I go to Asgard, it is not just to help Thor.  I must secure the Tesseract, and possibly one more Infinity Stone."

Tori's brow furrowed, "Wait.  What do you mean 'possibly one more'?  There's another one on Asgard?"

She leaned into his touch, as Loki continued to stroke her hair and replied, "The less you know, the better.  I know that you do not like being left in the dark, but we cannot run the risk of the last stone being discovered.  If it is where I believe it to be, I will have a very finite window to secure it once on Asgard."

"What about the two stones here on Earth?  Shouldn't you stay to protect them?"

Tori watch as Loki considered what she said.  After a brief silence, Loki spoke.  "One of those stones is actually integrated into a living creature.  Vision will literally guard it with his life.  As for the other, I am not certain if that so-called sorcerer knows what he has.  So long as he does not use it, he will draw any attention to it."

With a cheeky smile, Tori rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows to look at him.  "Do I detect a hint of jealousy, Mr. Friggason?  If I didn't know any better, I would think that you're a little bitter at not being the only game in town when it comes to ma- OW!"

Tori's exclamation was more in surprise than pain when Loki's hand came down on her ass with a smack that echoed throughout the suite.  "That is enough sass from you, young lady," he growled with a playful gleam in his eye.

"I must have hit pretty close to the mark to get that sort of reaction from you," Tori said as she played right along with him.  Loki went to smack the other cheek, but Tori rolled away.  She soon realized her mistake when Loki pinned her beneath him and started tickling her sides.  Shrieking laughter punctuated by pleas for him to stop filled the room as Tori tried to escape.

"Loki!!! I ca- HAHAHAHA - can't take it!  Please st-stop!"

Loki was now grinning down at her.  "Do you see what happens when you ask for trouble?  You are such an instigator, Vittoria!"

When he let up enough to allow her to catch her breath, Tori could help but retort.  As soon as the words "You're a fine one to talk!" left her mouth, Loki began tickling her again.  This time, it was purely in retaliation for the smartass remark.

Tori kept trying to wriggle free, but only succeeded in being distracted enough to let Loki settle between her legs again.  Peering down at her from between locks of hair, Loki's smile erased the worry from his face.  He cradled the back of her head and drew her into a kiss.  Tori melted into it, now writhing against him rather than trying to escape.  His cool skin did little to soothe the burning sensation that raced through her.

Tori's brow wrinkled with discomfort as Loki began to enter her.  Recalling how rough he had just been with her, Loki whispered "Do you want me to stop?"  All the while, he prayed that she wouldn't ask him to.

Tori brushed the hair out of his face before replying in panting breaths, "Go slow, but don't you dare stop."

Whatever pain Tori felt became part of the orgasm that was building, melding with pleasure to the point where she couldn't tell the difference.  As slowly as Loki thrust into her, Tori closed her eyes with a wanton moan.

"Open your eyes, Vittoria.  I want to watch you come apart for me," Loki demanded.

Lips parted as her moans joined his, Tori watched Loki's brilliant emerald eyes glow and then darken as they both approached the edge of bliss.  With a slow, unexpected, swivel of his hips, Loki brought Tori to a climax that brought tears to her eyes and his name on her lips.  Several thrusts later, Loki filled her with a ragged cry of relief.  They lay there in the silence of his room, falling asleep still entwined.

Sometime in the night, Loki woke again with Vittoria's legs wrapped around him and her head nestled into the crook of his neck.  He gently removed himself so that he could wrap his long limbs around her from behind.  In her sleep, she snugged up to him so that her plush backside rubbed against his semi-hard cock.  " _Not now_ ," Loki silently scolded himself, " _Let her rest._ "

Idly, his free hand ran from her shoulder down her back to the dip of her waist and over the curve of hip and thigh.  When it seemed as if she was stirring from her sleep, Loki settled his hand at her hip, tracing light circles with his thumb as he thought of how best to protect her and to ensure that the Soul Stone remained safe from Thanos' grasp.  Loki continued his rumination, until the first cold rays of sunrise began to brighten the eastern sky.  It was at that point, that Loki had the beginnings of a plan.


	30. Sometimes, If You Wait Long Enough, Trouble Comes to You

Loki slipped out of bed, leaving Vittoria snoring softly as she burrowed deeper into the spot he vacated.  He used his seidr to form his sleep clothes about him, gliding down the hall like a specter.  Loki came to a stop before the room he had presented to Thor as his during his stay.  He didn't want his brother to get the impression that the invitation was open, or that the room was exclusively his.  When he said as much, Thor gave the room a cursory once-over and pointed out that for a room meant for just any old guest, it was decidedly to his tastes (noting the red decor and larger than Midgardian furnishings).  Loki's response was simply to slam the door shut on his brother's insufferable face.

Now, Loki had to knock a bit forcefully a second time before Thor opened the door while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Come now, brother.  You surely are not hung over from last night," Loki teased as he watch Thor rake his hair in an attempt to tame a rampant case of bed-head.

Suppressing a yawn with the back of his hand, Thor replied, "Hardly, but the time changes between realms does not help.  That is why I retired early in the evening.  What information did you find?"

"Yes, I believe the Midgardians call it 'jet-lag.'  If only they knew how disruptive travel between realms can be.  As for what I have learned, that is why I woke you.  We have much to discuss before you leave."

"I don't suppose you have any coffee.  Do you, Loki?"

"I have something better," Loki said with a smirk.

Seated in the kitchen, Loki made Asgardian sized portions of the espresso.  That is to say, he served it in regular coffee mugs (rather than the miniscule cups favored by Nonna Scarpetti).  Thor shuddered slightly after taking a large gulp of his, the caffeine jolting his senses and brain wide-awake.

Loki disclosed everything he learned from Amora and Lorelei.  In doing so, Loki ended up doing one of the last things that he had ever wanted to do: he told Thor more about his time in the company of the Mad Titan.  It was bad enough that Thor knew what he already knew, thanks to Loki's repeated night terrors and the injuries Asgard's healers discovered shortly after his return to Asgard.  The only reason that the healers had seen anything was when Loki had gravely injured himself during one of the worst of his night terrors.  In tending to the gaping wound left by getting impaled on a piece of broken furniture, the healers had come across scars not previously seen.  These were no battle scars or from youthful misadventure; they were from everything that Thanos had done to make Loki more...compliant: blades, hooks, poisoned spikes.  And flames.  Given his true parentage, the worst of the damage had been done by fire.  The healers did what they could to undo much of the physical damage.

As Loki spoke, Thor's face flushed with anger.  Then he turned almost as pale as Loki.  Then positively thunderous with rage, finally settling on concerned for his brother.  "Loki, why did you not tell us about this creature?  Surely, you know that we would have helped you!"

"Who would have believed me, Thor?  You brought me back to Asgard in chains to rot in the dungeons.  Odin would have only believed that I was trying to save my own hide," Loki said with an exasperated sigh.

"Mother would have believed you! _I_ would have believed you!  Even whilst we fought, I knew you were not yourself.  Loki, what happened?"

"Nothing that I wish to recount, here and now," Loki replied.  He was not looking at Thor as he spoke; he eyes were fixed on some invisible horizon.  Thor had seen this look on the faces of soldiers returned from battle, the ones who came back and were never quite the same again.  Loki shook his head, freeing himself of whatever memories had gripped his mind.  "We have more important matters at hand," he said with a stubborn look that Thor knew too well.

"So...you plan to take the Tesseract?  You do realize that it is in the treasure vault, correct?" Thor asked.

"Were you not paying attention?" Loki said with a roll of his eyes.  "Having it and the Soul Stone on the same realm might prove problematic.  If I can hide the Tesseract from Thanos' sight, we can at least thwart his plan to collect the remaining stones by attacking Midgard and Asgard."

"Why not hide the Soul Stone and leave the Tesseract in the vault?"

Loki smirked in reply.  "Why did I not think of that?  Oh, wait.  Perhaps, because it would be a bit difficult to hide _Heimdall_ without Odin realizing that his gatekeeper has gone missing."

Thor squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temples.  His brain was starting to hurt from all of this information that Loki had just thrown at him and the implications.  They had originally planned to avoid the palace entirely in their quest to retrieve an apple from Idunn's orchard.  Now, he realized there would be no avoiding it.

"There really is no way around this, is there?"

"No.  There is not.  You saw the havoc that could be wreaked with the Space Stone alone.  Imagine if it was coupled with the Aether, or any of the others."

"Then we will need a distraction," Thor grinned at his brother.

"Indeed," Loki grinned in reply.  "Shall we do 'Stampede'?"

Thor shook his head, "No, Father knows that one.  What about 'Rabid Rabbits'?"

Loki snorted, "That is a good one but too messy for this outing.  Let's do 'Beserker Rage' instead."

"Then we shall have to get Volstagg roaring drunk.  Are you sure that you're up for that?  It will take a few days."

"Hours, not days.  Because," Loki conjured a vial with a phosphorescent blue liquid, "we have ringer right here."

Thor's eyes widen.  "Is that the-"

The serpentine look on Loki's face was all the answer that Thor needed to know that poor Volstagg was going to have a raging hangover for at least a week.  And most likely be banned from any number of taverns near the palace.  He also likely would swear off drinking for a while.

"You had best get going.  And Thor, a bit of advice: spend time with Dr. Foster before we leave.  I would hate for her to be unpleasant with Vittoria in our absence."

Thor replied with a sly grin of his own.  "I shall leave you, then, to spend time with your own lovely lady.  You wouldn't want her to forget you while we are away."

"There is no chance of that, brother mine."

With a clasp of their forearms and a one-armed hug, they bid each other farewell.  Loki watch as Thor shrank into a speck on the horizon, only stirring when he heard a sleepy voice behind him say, "Thor has already taken off?"

Vittoria was standing in the doorway, wearing one of his robes.  With a faint blush blooming on her cheeks from his gaze and her hair in disarray from the previous night's activities, Loki planned to spend the rest of their limited time with her, on her, and in her.  Loki strode across to the open door and literally swept Tori off her feet, pressing a fervent kiss to her lips as her arms encircled his neck, and carried her back to his chambers to do just that.

* * *

"I don't know how to explain it.  We keep seeing anomalies pop up, then they disappear as soon as we can get a lock on the location," Jane said while entering the latest data with a flurry of keystrokes.

"When you say 'anomalies', Dr. Foster, I hear 'shit that should worry me.'"  Nick Fury was watching the model morph with the new information as Dr. Selvig and Dr. Foster worked.  Between what Charlie Scarpetti (now the other "Agent Scarpetti") had helped unearth and the astrophysicists was saying now, the Director of SHIELD had a lot of spinning plates.  Naturally, two of the very scant handful of beings that could help make sense of it were MIA.

As if an answer to his prayers, the doors to the observatory's lab opened to reveal one of those beings in the form of a slightly wind-blown Thor, flanked by Stark and Rogers.

"Nicholas J!  Just look at what the cat dragged in!" Tony shouted as he entered the room.  He had been day drinking, judging by the scotch in his hand and lack of volume control.

Jane, who had been in the zone while completing the latest model run, looked up from the screens.  "Thor!  You actually came back when you said you would!"

All eyes turned toward the God of Thunder, who visibly squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest a bit.  "Yes, I did.  Of course I did, Jane.  Nothing would keep me from returning to you," Thor said as he gathered her into his arms.

Tony made retching noises in the background before saying, "For Christ's sake!  Get a room, you two!"

Clearing his throat, Fury interrupted the moment between the two lovebirds.  "I really hope that you have some good news for me, Thor.  I'm getting sick and tired of people giving me bad news.  Lately, if it wasn't for bad news, I'd have no news at all."

Thor, reluctant to break away from Jane, turned to Fury with her still in his arms.  "I was able to find Loki and Agent Scarpetti.  They are well and shall return by the week's end."

Fury stared at the larger man.  Then blinked twice before leaning forward.  "That's it?  That is all that you have for me.  That.  Is.  IT?!?!"

With a low growl in his throat, Thor turned to face the bald, shorter man.  "I will give you a chance to rephrase your question in a more respectful manner, Director Fury."

Taking a deep breath, and exhaling through flared nostrils, Fury was able to contain himself.  Barely.  "Thor, would you please tell me where your brother and Agent Scarpetti are located?  We really need to get them back here.  Pretty damn quick!"

Thor's defiant gaze met Fury's.  The tension in the air among the others was suffocating as he took a few beats to answer.

"I cannot tell you much more without betraying my brother's trust.  I can tell you that Agent Scarpetti is safe and sound.  My brother left in search of answers as to who sent the Enchantress and why Loki was so central to their plans.  He will be able to reveal more when he returns with Tori."

All eyes moved from Thor to the man standing before him; Fury now stood with his stance widened and his hands clasped behind his back.  His singular eye narrowed at the Asgardian prince as he spoke.  "I'm sure that I don't need to remind you of the trust issues we have with your brother.  I certainly hope that _your_ trust has not been misplaced."

Fury turned on his heel to exit the lab.  He stopped to face the room as the automated door opened.  "By the way...if Loki does anything to hurt Agent Scarpetti, he's going to have all of SHIELD on his ass."

Thor chuckled, "SHIELD will be the least of his worries.  You forget that she has three brothers, and I would be more than willing to assist them.  Now, if you will excuse us, Dr. Foster and I have plans for the rest of today and the remainder of this week."

Jane gave Thor a shocked look before turning to Darcy, who just gave her a salacious waggle of her eyebrows.  Turning back to the grinning God of Thunder she stuttered, "W-we do?"

Tucking Jane under his arm, Thor ushered out of the laboratory.  "Yes, Jane.  We do."

"Ahem!  Dr. Foster has some very important work to finish," Fury shouted.

Thor called out over his shoulder, "I'm sure that it's nothing that Dr. Selvig can't handle for the time being."

* * *

"So let me get this straight: Tori is off only God knows where with the guy that she was hiding at my mother's house.  Meanwhile, his brother knows where they are but won't tell anyone, but they are supposed to come back here in three days?"

John Scarpetti wasn't exactly taking the news in stride.  Of course, the man might have been a bit more calm (according to Tony's observations) if the elder of his two daughters had not blown into town and busied herself with telling her father just who Tori's "co-worker" really was.

More than once, Tony had overheard Tori regale her fellow agents with tales of her sister's malicious stupidity.  It turned out that it was no exaggeration: Angela Scarpetti-Woodard was a royal bitch!  Caught up in her wake was a soft-spoken, browbeaten man who reminded Stark of a whippet.  Everyone was left to assume that he was Joseph Benedict Woodard III (since Angela lacked the manners and people skills her younger siblings had).  Stark had a passing familiarity with the Woodards.  They were old money from New England, the sort that summered on Martha's and had buildings on Ivy League campuses named after their great-granddaddies.  Standing next to the Brothers Scarpetti, JB cut a rather unimposing figure in spite of his comparable height.  It made Tony give thanks for Pepper to whoever or whatever was listening.

"Dad, you know Tori's track record.  She's hopelessly drawn to bad boys.  Joey and I have tried to set her up with decent men, but you know how she is."

Tony peered into the kitchen, where the sounds of pots and pans banging together had become louder.  Judging by the scowl on Nonna Scarpetti's normally sweet face, she was wishing her granddaughter would just shut the hell up.  She had baked some cookies that smelled like heaven, but Tony (along with everyone else) was scared to go in the kitchen where an angry Italian woman and all the knives were located.

Meanwhile, Angie continued to needle her parents.  "Of course," Tony heard the sneer in her voice, "she had to go and get involved with the baddest of the bad, on top of being a SHIELD agent.  I don't know if she ought to be arrested or committed."

Tony had heard enough.  "Hey, toots!  Your sister is not only a great agent, she's one hell of a great person!  Reindeer Games may be a pain in the ass, but Tori seems to have tamed him.  A little.  He's helped us, more specifically Tori, more than once.  In fact, your sister seems to specialize in dealing with hard cases around here."  Tony pointedly looked over to Bucky and Charlie, who were playing poker with Steve and Sam.  He turned back to her and said, "So maybe, juuuust maybe, you should shut your piehole if you don't have anything nice to say about her."

Tony hid his smirk by taking a sip of his scotch while Angie's mouth opened and shut a few times in her failed attempts to form a comeback.  The four men seated at the card table all looked up to watch, Charlie scowling at his sister in agreement with Tony.  Nonna had stopped banging around in the kitchen.  Relief flickered across the faces of John, Maggie, and their three older sons.  Satisfied that his good deed had been done for the day, Tony swaggered back to kitchen.

The old woman affectionately pinched Tony's cheek as he tried to sneak cookie off the counter.  "Thank you for that, Tony.  I love all of my grandchildren, but some are more trying than others," Nonna said with a smile.

"Any time, Nonna.  I am looking forward to getting Tori back here, though.  We are all a little anxious without her."

"Yinz can't be worried about her with Loki.  I've been around a long time, and I know a smitten young man when I see one."

"Sure, smitten young men.  What about infatuated demi-gods?" Tony chuckled.

Nonna shrugged, "Men. Demi-gods.  Makes no difference."

Chortling into his rocks glass Tony said, "Maybe you're right.  I've seen how he is with Tori and how his brother is with Jane.  I just don't know if we can handle _two_ lovesick alien princes around this place.  I'm just waiting on the fallout from when their Daddy Dearest finds out."

Nonna glanced over the top of her glasses at Tony.  "He should be so lucky to have both his sons happy with nice young ladies like my granddaughter and that Dr. Foster."

Tony laughed and planted a kiss on Nonna's cheek.  "Nonna, I hope you get to meet him.  And I hope that I'm around to hear you tell him that very thing!"

* * *

~ Three Days Later~

Aside from the soft hum of electronics on standby, all was quiet in Stark Tower.  Well, if one didn't count the snoring that came from Tony's room; he only went to bed at a decent hour because Pepper made him.  It was the first time in months were Iron Man had been asleep before midnight.  The rest of the Tower's residents and guests were either busy elsewhere or were quietly spending time in their own quarters.  Not wanting to be inconvenienced with encountering the others or alerting them of their arrival, Loki took the extra precaution of creating a doorway from his home to Vittoria's apartment.  More specifically, the back of her walk-in closet.

Tori, stepping into the midst of her clothes and shoes, started giggling uncontrollably.

"Alright, just what is so amusing, Vittoria?"

Tori exited the closet, still laughing, and made a beeline for her cell phone on her nightstand.  She immediately began tapping away, until a video clip appeared on her phone: it was a clip from the _South Park_ episode where Tom Cruise refused to come out of Stan's closet.  R Kelly had just gotten done singing about Tom Cruise and John Travolta not coming out of the closet and how he was going to "cap some bitch."  Loki just shook his head, a smile tugging the corners of his mouth.  He smile gave way to laughter when Tori sang in her own impersonation of R Kelly, "Now I have a door to Iceland in my closet."

Loki pick up Tori and tossed her on the bed.  Falling on the bed and caging her with his arms and torso, Loki smiled down at Vittoria.  "You ridiculous woman," he laughed while brushing his nose against hers.

"I may be ridiculous, but you're the one laughing," Tori replied before pressing her lips to his.

He hummed in agreement and let his hands roam over her body, vanishing her clothing piece by piece so that she lay naked.  Tori was about to protest his still being clothed, but she felt Loki's smooth, cooler skin pressed against hers.  The grin that Loki gave her as he kissed, nipped, and licked his way all over caused Tori to reflexively press her thighs together with the sudden rush of arousal.  Without any warning beyond the feral grin on his face, Loki grabbed Tori by the hips and flipped her so that she now lay facedown.  She tried to move, but Loki's firm grip as he raised her backside to meet his hips would not allow it.

"Are you ready for me, Vittoria?" Loki's voice was a low rumble as he wedged his thighs between Tori's knees.  His fingers slid easily inside her, soaking his fingers with evidence of her need.  Trying to gain friction, Tori began rocking herself against Loki's hand.  With his free hand, Loki tightened his grip on her hip.  "So needy.  So eager," Loki purred in her ear as he covered her body with his own.

The high keening that was muffled by the duvet caused Loki to throb painfully as he continued to thrust one, then two, fingers into her.  Tori was lost in the overwhelming sensations: Loki's muscular body molded to hers, his fingers relentlessly dragging her to the brink of an orgasm then slowing enough to keep her on edge, the soft fabric of the bedding brushing against her bare skin and aching nipples.  Which is why she cried out when Loki replaced his fingers with his cock.

Grabbing a fistful of her hair and winding it around his closed fist, Loki brought his other arm around to cup her breast and lift her so that he now thrust up into her.  Loki turned Tori's head so that he could capture her lips with his.  Loki swallowed her cries as she came, pulling him further inside.  Loki shifted the angle of his hips slightly, hitting a place so deep inside her that Tori's eyes flew open as she screamed in his mouth.  A sudden rush of wet and the clutching of her cunt drove him to climax with Tori, breaking away from their kiss to roar her name as he filled her.

Their bodies still entwined, Loki laid them down.  His long limbs tangled with Tori's as he nuzzled her neck and whispered, "Sleep now, love.  We have a few hours yet."

"Okay.  You need sleep, too.  You're going to meet the rest of my family in the morning.  You need all the strength you can muster," Tori said as her eyes drooped shut.  Loki chuckled at both her response and how quickly she dropped off.  She began to snore softly; the steady rhythm lulled Loki to sleep.

* * *

Thor was grateful that he sought out Agents Hill and Romanov before seeking out Jane.  He had approached Darcy, at first, but her suggestion of a full weekend of "sexy times, only interrupted by takeout deliveries" did not meet his entirely standards.  He would need to enlist further help of the female persuasion when he and Loki returned from Asgard, most likely from Agent Scarpetti and Miss Potts.  Jane had been terrified to fly while blindfolded.  However, her anger at him for playing such a trick evaporated upon seeing the private beachside villa (arranged by Natasha) and the completely stocked kitchen and wardrobes (courtesy of Agent Hill and SHIELD).  They finally got their much-needed couple time, uninterrupted.

It was the second day of Thor and Jane's romantic getaway.  They were on the patio, Jane seated in Thor's lap with her head on his shoulder, watching the sun set over the Pacific.  The top of the sun began to sink below the horizon, followed by a green flash.

"Oh, did you see that?  I've never seen a green flash before!" Jane whispered excitedly.  Thor's smiled as he kissed the nape of her neck; Jane's perpetual wonder at the workings of the natural world was one of the things that he found most endearing.  Thor continued his attentions, hoping to persuade Jane to return to their room.  From the corner of his eye, he saw another flash of green.  However, this one was larger and followed by a sonic boom.

The God of Thunder narrowed his eyes to focus his gaze on the swiftly-approaching craft.  Whatever it was, it wasn't local...and didn't appear to be friendly.  It came in low, low enough for them to feel the heat from the engine exhaust.  "Jane, cover your ears!" Thor shouted just before the boom hit.

Thor watched as the craft banked hard to the left and headed back their way.  "Take cover!" he shouted as he rushed Jane to the open French doors.  Mjolnir flew to Thor's hand as Jane headed for the very interior of the house.  She hardly had time to shout, "Be careful!" before Thor was airborne.  Being a SHIELD building, the villa had certain structural features meant to ensure that it would at least survive an attack or natural disaster long enough for help to arrive.  Jane let out a startled scream when she looked through the large picture windows and saw flashes of light, then chucks of adobe block and terra cotta flying through the air.  The attack was cut off by an eardrum-rupturing explosion; she assumed (correctly) that was Thor and his hammer punching an Asgardian-size hole through the alien craft's hull and out the other.

The ship's wreckage skid to a halt on the beach, gouging a trench into the white sand and flipping over when it hit a rocky outcrop near the tide pools.  Stunned by how quickly things had begun and ended, Jane stepped back out to the patio.  Her wide-eyed stare took in the remains of the craft, with its strange shimmering metal and the debris scattered on the beach and floating in the waves, mixing with the seaweed and driftwood that the tide swept in.  Thor landed next to Jane, his shirt and shorts ripped to tatters but nary a scratch on him.  He took her in her arms when she started to tremble.  Rocking her gently and stroking her hair, Thor continued to keep an eye on the wreck.

"Shh, now.  It's over, Jane.  Whoever they are, they could not have survived such a crash or the explosion."

"W-we should call SHIELD.  They will want to inspect the crash," Jane's hands shook so badly that she dropped the phone in her attempt to make the call.

Thor bent down to retrieve it.  When he straighten himself, he saw her eyes still fixed on the beach below them.  Following her gaze, Thor saw a sickly, gray-skinned arm with bony hands and claws breach a seam in the hull of the downed ship.  He needed to get Jane to safety...but whatever it was needed to be contained.  Turning his face skyward, Thor shouted "Heimdall!  Some reinforcements would be handy right about now!"

If no one was close enough to the Observatory, Thor knew it would be a while before help arrived.  He swept Jane up and carried her back into the house.  Natasha had told him of a hidden "safe room" to be used in the event of an emergency.  She said it was a room built into the foundations, accessible by a secret door in the pantry.  Thor found the keypad and entered the code. The door opened with a hiss as the airlock released and allowed it to slide open.  The lights came on to reveal a narrow staircase that led down to a sparse room.  One wall was lined with shelves containing water jugs, MREs, and first aid supplies.  Another wall had several monitors connected to the security system. A small bed covered with a scratchy-looking blanket sat opposite the monitors.

"Jane, stay here.  You will be safe while I deal with that creature," he said has he set her down on the bed.

"No!  Don't leave me in here, please!"  Panic rose in her voice as she snapped out of the shock.  Jane clamored for a better grip on Thor, but he gently grabbed her wrists and forced her back to sitting.

"Jane.  My dear Jane," he said has he kissed her.  "I will be alright.  I promise.  I need you to stay out of harm's way.  Can you do that for me?"

She choked back fearful tears as she nodded.  Thor stepped out of the tiny room and sealed the door behind him.  He quickly cleared the kitchen and living areas, returning to survey the wreck and confront the being (or beings) that had attacked them.  When he looked down, the creature was still struggling to extract itself.  When it turned to face him, there was no doubt as to what it was.

The Chitauri's yellow eyes landed on him.  It's rage-filled scream echoed off the cliffs, over the sound of the crashing waves.


	31. Do You See Why We Don't Take Vacations?

It had taken Thor a while to subdue the creature.  He didn't remember the Chitauri being so tough when he last encountered them.  Still, he was able to knock it unconscious before it had been able to leave the beach.  Fashioning a makeshift pair of handcuffs from a pliable metallic strap that ran along a seam in the ship's hull, Thor bound the creature hand and foot.  He then inspected the interior of the downed craft.

There were three more creatures inside, all appeared to be dead.  Still, Thor wasn't taking any chances.  If his experiences with Loki had taught him anything, it was that some beings were better at playing dead than others.  He found more of that metal and used it to tie up the other two Chitauri.  Thor slung a creature over each shoulder, making two trips up the stairs to bring them up to the villa.  He assumed that either SHIELD or Asgardian reinforcements would arrive soon.  In the meantime, he had to check on Jane.  Then see if there was anything more sturdy to keep the aliens contained.

Releasing the airlock on the door, Thor poked his head into the safe room.  Jane was perched on the edge of the bed, her body tense.  She fairly launched herself from where she sat and threw her arms around Thor's neck.  She clung to him, wrapping her legs around his waist and not letting go as he carried her upstairs.  "I called SHIELD," she said into the crook of his neck. "Or rather, they called me.  The alarm on the panic room let them know we were in trouble."

"Jane, do not panic: at least one of them is still alive."

"WHAT?!?!"

"I left it alive so that we can gather information from it.  There were three more, but they are likely dead."

She was about to ask Thor just what made him think that he could talk to creatures that seemed content to shoot first and ask questions later when she was interrupted by the sound of jet engines.  Sure enough, SHIELD was on the scene now.  Coulson and Hill, followed by a cadre of agents and scientists, exited the quinjet.  Maria made her way up to the pair.  "Man, can't anyone other than Loki take a vacation?"

Thor chuckled.  "Perhaps that is where I should have taken Jane."

"To your brother's bachelor pad?  That would be awkward," Maria gave Thor a skeptical look.

Thor scratched the back of his neck.  "Actually," he replied, "I suspect that my brother may not have created it with the intention of it being a 'bachelor pad'.  Not for long, anyway."

Maria and Jane both gave him stunned looks.  "You mean him and Tori..." Jane's voice trailed off.

"He hasn't said anything," Thor hastily added, "but he is quite fond of Agent Scarpetti.  He is not usually so open in his affections."

While Maria and Jane were still digesting what Thor had said, Coulson approached the group.  "It looks like two of the Chitauri are still alive.  One just barely.  We will be transporting them back to headquarters."

Jane sighed as she took a look at the damage caused by the brief battle between her boyfriend and the alien ship, "I suppose you'll want us to come back, too."

"That won't be necessary, Dr. Foster," replied Coulson.  "We know how to reach you if we have any questions.  Please, enjoy the remainder of your trip.  I have a feeling that you'll be more than busy once you return."

Both Jane and Thor breathed a sigh of relief.  Although, it got Thor to thinking that he and Loki may have to postpone their trip to Asgard.  If this had been a scouting expedition, then it was only a matter of time before the invasion was at their doorstep.  As if he could read Thor's thoughts, Coulson said "We have eyes and ears all over the place.  You will be the first call we make if there's any sign of trouble."

Everyone boarded the quinjet, leaving the God of Thunder and his bewildered girlfriend to make the most of the time left to them.

* * *

While there was no video or audio surveillance within Tori's apartment, Tony had programmed Friday to alert him if/when she and Loki returned.  Working in his lab with Dr. Selvig to pick up the slack left by Jane's playing hooky with Thor, Tony noted the time.  For as much grief as Reindeer Games had given him for the duration of his time in The Tower, Tony was tempted for a little payback.  "Friday, are the two lovebirds, uh, occupied?"

"Yes, sir.  I would strongly advise against disturbing them."

Tony knew that Loki would probably turn him into a frog or something if he dared to do anything now.  Still, that didn't mean there wouldn't be shenanigans later on.  Tony chuckled to himself as he began to formulate an appropriate "welcome back" for the two of them.  "Friday, dig through the archives for video footage and photos of Tori and Loki," he said as he gleefully rubbed his hands together and began to search through his playlists for an appropriate song.

Later that morning, Tony had been relentless in rounding up all of the The Tower's residents and guests to make sure that they were in the common area.  Knowing that neither Tori nor Loki had any fresh food in their fridges (he had them cleaned out to minimize the chance of funk and unintended science experiments), they would be wandering in to pilfer breakfast.  That was when he planned to strike.  Like clockwork, the elevator opened and Tony's intended targets stepped out.

As soon as they did, the lights dimmed and a slide show of various pictures and video clips of Loki and Tori together (from the day they met, to training footage, to the aftermath of several missions) played on the big screen while "Happy Together" played.  Of course, some of these pictures showed Loki and Tori looking anything but "happy together"; they were bedraggled and road-worn from field work and ready to throttle each other.  Reactions varied from sappy "aww's" to laughter.  The biggest laugh was from Loki picking up Tori and carrying her away from a fight while she was still throwing punches.

Still, there were a few that neither had any clue existed.  One showed the both of them sleeping: Tori with her head on Loki's shoulder (and drooling) and Loki with his head against the bulkhead, mouth open, and his arm across the back of the bench behind Tori.  Another picture (evidently a candid from Tony) showed them sitting at Nonna's dinner table, Loki watching Tori while she was talking to Nonna.  Tori looked up at Loki, while Loki's eyes were fixed on the screen.  His face was unreadable.  When the lights came up, everyone was clapping and cheering.

Tony, huge grin on his face, shouted above the ruckus, "It's about time that you two got back here!  Fury was ready to send what's left of SHIELD looking for you.  He almost lost his shit with Thor when the big guy wouldn't tell us anything.  Not to mention that Tori's family been camping out here."

Tori was still watching Loki, a bit unnerved that she wasn't able to tell what he was thinking.  He was still wearing an expression that could best be described as "Asgardian poker face."  For her part, she thought Stark's little welcome back surprise was the least annoying thing that he could have done.  Of course, just because she felt that way didn't mean that the God of Mischief was inclined to agree with her.  If he found that little display embarrassing, heavens only knew what he would do to retaliate.  " _Hopefully, whatever it is will wait because here comes Mom, Dad, and... Christ on a crutch, why is she here?!?_ "

"Well, Tori, it looks like the cat's out of bag about what you've been doing the last two and half years," Angie snarked as she approached.

Plastering her face with the biggest, phoniest smile ever, Tori leveled her gaze at her sister.  "Great to see you too, Angie.  How nice for you to grace us poor slobs with your presence.  I'm sure that the well-heeled doyennes of Boston society are missing you right about now.  When are you and JB heading back?"

"Now, Tori.  What kind of sister would I be if I didn't come here after hearing you had been injured?  Especially since the rest of the family is here to meet your friends and your new boyfriend," Angie's smile was just as fake as Tori's.

"The kind that ignores my ass, unless she stands to gain something," muttered Tori.

Loki's arm reached around Tori's shoulders to pull her into a comforting embrace, his eyes trained on the older woman.  Angela and Vittoria could nearly be twins in appearance, though Angela was more slender than Tori. In addition, there was a hardness in her eyes and mercenary demeanor that made Angela repellent to Loki.  Indeed, any man who preferred her to Vittoria was in dire need of having his head examined.  The man trailing behind the older woman must be her unfortunate husband.  The other men making their way toward the couple were nearly as tall as Loki and looked somewhat like Charlie.

The older man with a mustache and piercing blue eyes extended a calloused hand.  "You must be Loki.  I'm John Scarpetti, Tori's father."

As Loki shook the man's hand, he nodded to the shorter woman to his right, "This is my wife Maggie."

Maggie's eyes danced with joy as she stepped forward and surprised Loki with a hug.  "My husband's trying to be hard-ass, but my mother-in-law has already told me all about you."

Smiling at both of Tori's parents, Loki replied as he looked from one to the other, "I'm pleased to finally meet Vittoria's parents.  Between her, Charlie, and Nonna, I feel as if I know you already."

The younger men standing behind John, one with brown hair and the other dirty blond, were introduced as Johnny and Michael, Tori's older brothers.  Both of them had the same grayish blue eyes as Charlie, along with the same mischievous spark that Loki had seen in Tori.  While Johnny was clean-shaven, Michael had a trim goatee that was slightly darker than his blond hair.  Charlie came bounding up behind them and took Loki's hand before giving him a decidedly Thor-like hug.  Loki surprised himself by reciprocating.

"Loki!  It's good to have you back, man.  I'm now obligated to tell you that if you make my sister cry, I'll kill you and make it look like an accident."

The God of Mischief laughed heartily at this.  "Charles," he replied, "you might have to wait in line behind your father and my own brother.  Assuming that I am foolish enough to do such a thing."

Loki was still beaming when his eyes fell on the petite elderly woman with her arms outstretched.  " _Bello_ , I knew that you would come back.  See,  _pignotta_?  Didn't I tell you that he wouldn't stay away long?"

Tori's siblings and parents were dumbfounded to see that Nonna not only hugged Loki, she took his face in her weathered hands and kissed him on the cheek.  "Now, I'm sure that you two haven't had breakfast.  Come get some coffee while I fix you a plate."

Everyone was either seated at the dining table or in the living room when Fury came upon them.  He scanned the room, eye falling on the pair that seemed intent on inhaling, rather than eating, the frittata that Rosie Scarpetti had set on the table before them.  Both had their mouths full when they looked up at him.  Not one for pleasantries, Fury said, "It's about fucking time you two showed up!  We have work to do, so get your asses in gear."

* * *

All hands were on deck to greet Coulson, Hill, and the team returning from the west coast.  Loki and Tori got matching looks of surprise from the SHIELD personnel exiting the aircraft.  

"Hey, are Thor and Jane alright?" Tori asked Coulson as he disembarked.

"They are," he answered.  "We left them there, though.  Didn't seem right to cut their vacation short."

"I hope that Jane can relax enough to enjoy herself," Tori replied.  "She's not used to the crazy that we see day in, day out."

Loki chuckled.  "Poor Dr. Foster.  She will have to get used to it sooner or later."

Coulson looked from one to the other.  If he had an opinion on Tori and Loki being involved with each other, he didn't let it show.  Fury, while not entirely surprised, let it be known that he would not tolerate their relationship interfering with SHIELD business.

Tori stepped closer to Loki and reached for his hand when she saw them escorting a Chitauri off the jet.  Another came out on a gurney, barely clinging to life.  The one that was still ambulatory passed by them, making eye contact with Loki.  It emitted strange clicking and chattering noises.

Loki glared at the creature.  "I'll believe it when I see it," he sneered in reply.  The Chitauri only clicked again as its eyes fell on Tori, making her skin crawl.

Even as he responded to the alien's unintelligible speech, Tori felt Loki's grip on her hand tighten.  Hearing the creature's reaction, Tori took a reflexively stood closer to Loki.  When her shoulder brushed against his arm, Loki looked down at her.

"It was an idle threat, darling.  Nothing to worry yourself about."

Tori looked up at him, "I have no idea what he said.  Do you?"

"She, actually," Loki corrected her.  "And she was simply trying to get under my skin."

Tori noticed a tick in his jaw as he seemed to think on what the creature said.  " _Well, it seemed to work_ ," she thought to herself.  "How did you understand her?" she asked aloud.

"Allspeak works across all sentient species," Loki replied.  "Even though the Chitauri have not had direct contact with Asgard, they are similar enough to species that have.  To say nothing of my own time dealing with them."

Loki was still ill at ease, watching the prisoners being taken to their holding cells.  Hill approached the pair, nodding at Tori.  "Scarpetti, it looks like you two came back just in time.  We need to borrow your boyfriend for a bit, to help us interrogate the Chitauri.  Thor brought down their fighter, but we think there may be more on the way."

Huffing at the use of the word "boyfriend," Loki muttered something about "not being a _boy_ since every living mortal's ancestors lived in thatch huts or drafty stone fortresses".  Tori rolled her eyes and managed to keep from laughing outright.

"Loki, would you please go help Agent Hill?"

Giving her hand a parting squeeze he said, "I won't be long."

Grateful that Loki had opted to forego his usual Asgardian attire and wear a shorter leather jacket with black trousers, Tori watched him walking down the corridor with Agent Hill.  "I hate to see him go but love to watch him leave," she said to herself.

"Damn, girl!" Darcy said from behind her.  "I need to find me some space Viking lovin'.  Why do you and Jane get to have all the fun?"

"Lewis...you can look, but you can't touch," Tori laughed as she headed back to meet with the rest of the team.  According to Fury, they had a lot to discuss.

* * *

"How odd to be on this side of the cage," Loki said as he walked along the outside of the glass and steel structure.

Coulson grimaced at the God of Mischief's obvious reference to the first time they had met.  "Yeah, I'm sure that you'd rather not take a walk down memory lane."

"Oh, no offense intended, Agent Coulson.  I was merely wondering at the fact that this is where you've chosen to keep her."

Maria looked up from the control panel after running the final security checks on the cell.  "We don't know everything about them, so we don't want to take any chances.  Since you can clearly understand it, we hoped that you could translate for us.  Maybe use some other skills, if needed."

Loki nodded, "Of course.  What would you like to know."

"Let's start with what it said to you back upstairs," Coulson said.

"She commented on how Thanos was on his way to deal with me personally, for my failure to retrieve the Tesseract.  That the army I had at my command would be dwarfed by the force Thanos brings with him."

"She?  Never mind.  She also seemed to say something about Tori," Coulson continued as he seemed to gauge Loki's reaction to his words.

Loki gave Coulson an appraising look before replying.  "She confirmed something that I heard from another source: that he knows about Vittoria's existence and her importance to me."

"We can discuss that later," Maria said.  "What is this army made of?  More Chitauri?"

Loki turned to the being that paced before him.  "Well?  You understand what we are saying.  Answer her question."

The Chitauri stopped pacing, narrowing its yellow eyes at Loki before responding with a series of clicks and clacks.  Loki listened until she was finished then turned to the agents with a translation.

"She said that there are Chitauri and other species, known to be mercenaries throughout the cosmos, among other things.  It also appears that Hydra had been successful in getting some of their hybrid creations off-world, with the aid of Amora and Lorelei, before Vittoria had facilitated the destruction of their base."

"Chitauri infected with Extremis?" Maria asked.

Loki nodded.  The Chitauri started making a series of rapid noises. To the humans in the room it meant nothing, but Loki recognized it as the Chitauri version of shouting.  She was taunting him.  What she said made Loki's blood run cold.

"The experiments they performed were not just with that virus.  They used a variety of genetic material.  They somehow got their hands on Kree blood, and..."

"And what else, Loki?" Coulson was pretty sure he wouldn't like the answer, but he had to ask.

Loki turned to face him.  Coulson had heard the phrase "righteous indignation" before but had never seen it personified.  Until now.  The god's growled response set Coulson's teeth on edge.

"Mine."

* * *

"What?  I'm gone for a week and nothing gets done around here?"

Tori walked in to the briefing room to see everyone, minus the Asgardians, Hill, and Coulson, waiting for her.  Charlie looked up from where he was tapping away on his computer.

"Oh no.  We've been busy...and we've found a whole lot of weird shit."

"Charlie, have you forgotten where you work now?"

Charlie smirked at his sister, "Trust me, Tori.  This will fit your definition of the word.  Remember when you went to West Virginia, guns blazing, to break Loki out of that Hydra bunker?"

"It wasn't exactly guns blazing.  Well, not in the beginning," Tori replied.

Charlie cued up the video from Tony's helmet recordings.  Watching it, Tori marveled at the fact that it seemed a lifetime ago.  When it reached the part where they found Loki in his cell, Tori almost couldn't watch.  In the moment, she was just focused on getting Loki out of there.  The replay of events made Tori reflect on just how close she came to losing him.  When this video concluded, Charlie spun his chair to face his sister.

"Did you guys ever wonder why they took Loki, specifically?"

Tori shrugged.  "It seemed pretty obvious.  They needed a sorcerer powerful enough to keep the portal stable.  They could generate enough power to open it, but not enough to maintain it."

"And if he didn't cooperate?  What if they had tried to make another sorcerer?"

"What do you mean 'make' one?  Are you saying that Loki's powers are hereditary?"

Bruce answered her, "Talking to Thor and from what we know of Loki's abilities, they're partly inherited.  Or at least, it makes training someone to use magic a bit easier."

"That is correct, Dr. Banner."  Loki entered the room, a dark scowl on his face as he continued to speak.  "There may have been other traits sought after by Amora and Lorelei."

"Such as?" Steve asked when Loki seated himself at the table next to Tori.

Loki held him with a steady gaze.  "While it is possible to train most beings to use even the smallest amount of seidr, it is not possible to train one to truly shape shift without the genetic predisposition to do so."

Natasha spoke up, "So, if they had an army of shapeshifters at their disposal..."

"They could infiltrate any organization, any where, and at any time," Loki finished her sentence.

The air in the room grew heavy with this realization.  Barton was the one to break the silence by asking, "What do we do now?"

Loki replied.  "I suggest that SHIELD start by cleaning its own house.  For that to happen more thoroughly, I will need to interview all personnel.  One-by-one."

"Loki, you do realize that will mean actually interacting with other people?  People outside of this room?" Tori said with a faint smile playing on her lips.

"It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it," he quipped.


End file.
